NFL comparisons for Notre Dame’s On3 top-100 football recruits

Comparing high school football recruits to NFL players is meant to be stylistic in nature and not meant to be a career projection.

Before you continue reading this article, read the first sentence once more.

No one is saying X prospect will be the next Tom Brady. It’s about giving fans an idea of what types of skillset their favorite college football program is adding in these new recruits.

On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power wrote out detailed NFL comparisons for the 32 class of 2022 five-star recruits per On3’s own rankings. He also lists comparisons – without the arduous task of giving 68 more breakdowns – for the rest of the On3 top-100 recruits.

You can read the full article here, or scroll below to see the Notre Dame recruits and their NFL comparisons, per Power.

LB Jaylen Sneed, No. 26 overall player, No. 2 linebacker

Power compares Sneed to Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was named to the 2021 Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman also compared Sneed to the former Irish linebacker.

“This one is too easy,” Power wrote. “Not only is Jaylen Sneed expected to assume the role in Notre Dame’s defense that made Owusu-Koramoah a star, but the two share many similarities as high school prospects.

“Owusu-Koramoah was 6-foot-1.5, 188 pounds as a high school prospect. Sneed is slightly heavier, checking in at 6-foot-1, and 205-210 pounds. Both were do-it-all players for their high schools. Owusu-Koramoah played receiver, quarterback, corner, safety and linebacker for Hampton (Va.) Bethel. Sneed lined up at quarterback, linebacker, safety and defensive end for Hilton Head Island (S.C.) Hilton Head. Both are twitchy athletes who play with a hair-on-fire effort level, running down plays from sideline-to-sideline.

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“Owusu-Koramoah was known for his physicality at the college level. We saw Sneed similarly seek out and embrace contact at the Under Armour All-America Game. Both were also multi-sport stars. Owusu-Koramoah was an all-state basketball player. Sneed is an above-the-rim dunker on the hardwood and also a top shot put thrower.”

OT Aamil Wagner, No. 29 overall player, No. 3 offensive tackle

Wagner’s comparison from Power is to Garrett Bolles, who was a junior college prospect before transferring to Utah, where he became a first-round pick in 2017. The Denver Broncos’ offensive tackle was a second-team All-Pro in 2020.

“It’s somewhat rare for a developmental offensive tackle like Aamil Wagner to rank as a five-star prospect out of high school,” Power wrote. “That’s primarily due to the fact that these lean-built, high upside types at offensive tackle can be difficult to for colleges identify while in high school.

“At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, Wagner is one of the more athletic and explosive offensive tackles in what is a down year at the position in the 2022 cycle. Despite his lack of mass, Wagner also has some of the best play strength among offensive linemen in the cycle, backed up by his status as a top thrower in track. It can be tough to pin down a great comparison for a prospect like Wagner, due to the typical circuitous path for developmental tackles.

“With that said, Wagner reminds us a bit of Garett Bolles, who was a top junior college prospect in the 2016 cycle. Like Wagner, Bolles was an athletic 260-pounder out of high school. He saw his body take off after a year at Snow College. We would expect to see Wagner look quite different after a year or two in Notre Dame’s strength program.”

Other Notre Dame comparisons according to On3’s Charles Power

Zionsville (Ind.) High’s Joey Tanona, the nation’s No. 62 player and No. 3 interior offensive lineman per On3, compares to three-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly of the Indianapolis Colts.

Fond du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs’ Billy Schrauth, the No. 87 recruit and No. 5 interior offensive lineman in America, is linked to Frank Ragnow, a first-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2018 and 2020 Pro Bowl selection.

West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley’s Eli Raridon, who ranks as the No. 91 recruit No. 3 tight end in the land, compares to another Iowa product in T.J. Hockenson, a John Mackey Award winner out of Iowa, first-round selection by Detroit in 2019 and 2020 Pro-Bowler.

Prospects who compared to former Notre Dame players who are currently in the NFL include Texas A&M defensive line recruit Anthony Lucas to the Chargers’ Jerry Tillery, Wisconsin safety signee Austin Brown to the Vikings’ Harrison Smith and LSU defensive line prospect Quency Wiggins to the Steelers’ Stephon Tuitt.