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Notre Dame at the Combine: How did the Irish perform in Indianapolis?

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•about 11 hours•

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mitchell evans-6
Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Notre Dame sent eight players to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. For a team coming off a national championship appearance, it was a relatively uneventful week.

That national title game and preceding College Football Playoff run contributed Notre Dame’s lack of a big splash at the combine. All but two former Irish players abstained from athletic testing, and all but three declined to go through positional drills due to the quick (just over one month) turnaround. However, each participant met with teams, underwent medical evaluations and had official measurements taken.

Here’s what you need to know about each former Notre Dame player at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.

DL Howard Cross III

Measurements: 6-foot-1 3/8, 285 pounds, 32 1/4-inch arms, 10 1/2-inch hands
Testing results: 29-inch vertical, 8-foot-8 broad jump

Quick notes: Cross’ jumps, which are meant to measure explosiveness, fell around the middle of the pack among defensive tackles but closer to the bottom than the top. His measurements will help him, verifying his above-average length and hand size for his height (and the fact that he’s actually 6-foot-1). But it looks increasingly like Cross will have to make a team as a late-round draft pick.

DL Rylie Mills

Measurements: 6-foot-5 3/8, 291 pounds, 32 5/8-inch arms, 9 7/8-inch hands

Quick notes: Mills (knee) did not participate in testing or on-field workouts.

LB Jack Kiser

Measurements: 6-foot-1 5/8, 231 pounds, 30 3/8-inch arms, 9-inch hands

Quick notes: Kiser did not test, but he received positive reviews for his positional drills. We’ll see how he tests at Notre Dame’s Pro Day, but he has done well to solidify his stock as a mid-round pick throughout the pre-draft process. This writer would expect Kiser off the board in the fourth or fifth round.

CB Benjamin Morrison

Measurements: 6-foot 1/4, 193 pounds, 30 3/8-inch arms, 9 1/4-inch hands

Quick notes: Morrison (hip) did not participate in testing or on-field workouts. His arm length might hurt him, though. For reference, Cam Hart‘s were 33 inches at the combine last year.

S Xavier Watts

Measurements: 5-foot-11 3/4, 204 pounds, 30 1/2-inch arms, 8 5/8-inch hands

Quick notes: Watts did not participate in testing or on-field workouts. He measured just under 6-foot, which he’s listed on Notre Dame’s website, but that’s not the end of the world for him.

TE Mitchell Evans

Measurements: 6-foot-5 3/8, 258 pounds, 31 7/8-inch arms, 9 1/2-inch hands
Testing results: 4.74-second 40-yard dash (1.55-second 10-yard split), 31-inch vertical, 9-foot-7 broad jump, 7.25-second three-cone drill, 4.4-second short shuttle

Quick notes: The only Notre Dame participant to produce a complete Relative Athletic Score, Evans’ workout was solid but not spectacular. His RAS — which combines size, speed, explosiveness and agility to produce a score relative to other prospects at a player’s position — was 7.8, which ranked No. 269 out of 1,216 tight ends since 1987.

Evans was productive in college when healthy and seems to be trending toward a mid-round draft slot. His positional drills looked good, too. Evans might not have the top-end athleticism teams look for in their star tight end, but 12 personnel-heavy teams should be interested in him as a high-quality TE2.

QB Riley Leonard

Measurements: 6-foot-3 3/4, 216 pounds, 31 5/8-inch arms, 9 1/2-inch hands

Quick notes: Of all the Notre Dame players who opted not to test, Leonard probably needs testing results the least. Everyone knows he’s athletic. The question is whether he can throw at an NFL level. He did his best to answer that question Saturday afternoon.

Based on in-person accounts, Leonard performed well in his on-field workout. He was a little late on a couple go balls and out-breaking routes, but overall, he looked like he built on the progress he showed during the second half of the 2024 regular season and subsequent CFP run. Expect Leonard off the board some time on Day 3.

WR Beaux Collins

Measurements: 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, 31 5/8-inch arms, 9 1/2-inch hands

Quick notes: Collins did not participate in testing or on-field workouts.

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