Senior Ronnie Stanley returns Notre Dame to NFL relevancy

After the powerhouse that is Ohio State, no single college football team will have an imprint on the 2016 NFL Draft as much as Notre Dame.

That imprint begins in a big way with left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Had he gone pro after last season, he would have been a first-round pick. He graded out last season as a better prospect than players like Cedric Ogbuehi and D.J. Humphries, players that went in the top 25 picks. Somewhat surprisingly, he decided to return for his final season in South Bend.

"Ronnie has developed into a premier offensive lineman," head coach Brian Kelly said shortly after Stanley announced he was returning to Notre Dame in January. "With another year at the position, and gaining more knowledge under the outstanding coaching of Harry Hiestand, Ronnie could be the best tackle in all of college football."

Other than Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin – and to a degree San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o – Notre Dame hasn't exactly been the football factory of old. Just one Irish player was drafted last year, and that was tight end Ben Koyack with the No. 229 overall pick.

With Stanley leading the way, things will be much different for Notre Dame in the 2016 draft. Directly behind Stanley in Notre Dame's draft prospect pecking order is linebacker Jaylon Smith. Some may be worried about Smith because he's an outside linebacker not known for his pass rushing ability. In other words, hopefully he's not the next Aaron Curry, a highly athletic linebacker who doesn't make it in the NFL.

Smith led Notre Dame in tackles last season with 112, to go along with 9 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He's a fast and active player who makes the team's defensive calls. His traits and physical skill make you think he's a top 10 pick, but will that high of a pick be used on a defensive front seven player who doesn't get after the quarterback? It will if he looks like a newer version of Luke Kuechly.

Up front, defensive tackles Jarron Jones and Sheldon Day have NFL talent. Jones has been a little inconsistent during his career but has impressive size at 6'5.5 and 315 pounds flashes good power. Day is a much smaller tackle at 6'2 and 285 pounds, but his burst makes him a legit three-technique as a pro.

In Notre Dame's secondary is one of the nation's best cornerback pairs in juniors KeiVarae Russell and Cole Luke. Russell is back after sitting out last season because of academic issues. He has good size at 6' and 190 pounds and showed in 2013 he can play with bigger wide outs. He was Notre Dame's team leader in passes defended with nine that season. Luke held that distinction last season with 15. He's not as athletic or big as Russell but his instincts are sound. From a physical standpoint, strong safety Elijah Shumate is ready for the NFL. He's a classic run stopping safety and was third on Notre Dame with 66 tackles last season.

At wide receiver, junior Will Fuller burst onto the scene last season with 76 receptions for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns. Fuller is a fast wide out who makes a lot of plays in the deep passing game. At 6' and 180 pounds, Fuller isn't necessarily imposing physically, but he can really go up and get the ball. He's kind of like a plus version of Nate Washington of the Houston Texans. Against Florida State last season, junior Corey Robinson looked like a star with eight catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. At 6'4, teams will love his size.