For Notre Dame, the obvious answer to the small draft numbers is that the Irish return the vast majority of their top players. Notre Dame only lost three starters from its offense, and two of those players were drafted. The Irish lost five starters from the defense, and three of those players were drafted.

Here’s a look at some winners and losers in the 2025 NFL Draft from an Irish football perspective: Even though he had to wait until the sixth round and pick No. 189, Leonard landed with an Indianapolis Colts franchise that knows him well.

For the second straight NFL Draft, at least half a dozen players out of Notre Dame heard their named called. This year, the Fighting Irish had six draftees on the dot after totaling seven in 2024. The program is up to an all-time record of 538 draft selections.