Where Michael Mayer, other Notre Dame prospects appear in pre-NFL combine mock drafts and rankings

Four Notre Dame players can alter their draft stock this week at the NFL Combine. For better or worse.

The annual gathering of more than 300 draft prospects and every NFL team in Indianapolis is as important to a player’s outlook as any other week during the pre-draft process. Players go through on-field athletic testing, workouts, medical reviews, interviews and measurements, among other activities.

Whatever happens in these few days doesn’t undo years of a player’s college tape. Film is the top of the résumé. But the combine can change how that tape is viewed, make teams take a closer look at the film or help in the other areas of evaluation. To put combine moves in context, though, it helps to know where a player stands heading in.

Notre Dame’s four combine prospects – tight end Michael Mayer, defensive end Isaiah Foskey, offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson and safety Brandon Joseph – range from projected first-rounders to Day 3 picks. Here’s where they appear in the churn of pre-combine mock drafts and prospect rankings.

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Tight end Michael Mayer

Mock drafts without Mayer in the first round or prospect rankings without Mayer in the top 30 are rarities. A tight end appearing above him, though, has become more common in recent weeks. Mayer, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave and Georgia’s Darnell Washington are all jockeying for TE1 status.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks each pegged Mayer as the No. 15 overall pick, heading to the Green Bay Packers. Mayer is the first tight end taken in both mocks.

“Mayer is an all-around tight end who had 180 catches for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns in three seasons for the Fighting Irish,” Kiper wrote. “He’s not afraid to block, but his value comes in stretching the seams and going up for and coming down with tough catches.”

The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner has Mayer as the No. 24 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars and also the first tight end taken.

“Mayer will be among the best contested-catch tight ends in the NFL the day training camp opens,” Baumgardner wrote. “That’s how good his hands are. On Mayer’s whopping 255 targets over three seasons at Notre Dame, Pro Football Focus charted him with just 12 drops. He had 121 receiving first downs in college.”

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso slotted Mayer at No. 18 to the Detroit Lions, but three picks behind Musgrave. Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema had Mayer as the No. 24 pick to the Jaguars, but nine spots behind Kincaid. CBS’ Ryan Wilson also has Mayer 24th, but as the only tight end in the first round.

The appeal with Musgrave is speed and athleticism, which have made teams overlook his injury-shortened 2022 season (two games, 11 catches, 169 yards). Musgrave exploded at the Senior Bowl when he ran a 20.05 mph sprint speed, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

Mayer won’t match Musgrave in athleticism. He didn’t post Kincaid’s explosive receiving numbers in 2022 (890 yards, 12.7 yards per catch). But a strong week of testing can show that his athleticism is more than sufficient and help his TE1 case.

“Mayer is the top inline tight end in this draft class,” Brugler wrote. “He isn’t the same type of athlete as Musgrave or Kincaid, but he isn’t a slug either, and it will be important for his testing numbers to show that. Mayer should run a 40-yard dash in the 4.6s.”

In prospect rankings, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Mayer at No. 22 in his updated top 50, a four-spot jump from his prior spot. Jeremiah also moved him past Washington in his tight end rankings, which have Kincaid No. 1. Sporting News ranks him as the No. 7 overall player and the top tight end. Kiper ranks Mayer as the No. 1 tight end and No. 17 overall.

Defensive end Isaiah Foskey

Foskey is pegged as a Day 2 pick, with third-round projections more common than second these days. He’s the No. 66 overall player in the PFF top 100. Brugler ranked him No. 58 on his mid-February top 100. Sporting News has the loftiest ranking for him – No. 31 overall and the No. 5 edge rusher. He is not in Jeremiah’s updated top 50 and is the No. 8 defensive end in Kiper’s position rankings.

“Foskey, the Fighting Irish’s all-time sack leader, is technically sound and well-rounded pass rusher who also has a favorable blend of power and explosiveness,” Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer wrote. “He could get better by becoming stronger vs. the run.”

Foskey was the No. 65 overall pick in Baumgardner’s three-round mock draft. He did not appear in Sikkema’s two-round mock.

Brandon Joseph and Jarrett Patterson

The former All-American safety and four-year starting interior lineman are both projected Day 3 picks in this year’s draft. PFF ranks Joseph as the No. 110 overall player and Patterson 146th. Joseph is PFF’s No. 8 safety, and Patterson its No. 9 interior lineman.

Kiper has Patterson as the No. 5 center and does not rank Joseph among his top 10 safeties. Sporting News ranks Joseph No. 105 overall and the No. 6 safety, while Patterson is No. 113 overall and the No. 8 interior lineman.

“Patterson uses his strength well as a blocker, but could work on being more nimble for the next level of speed and quickness he will face,” Iyer wrote.