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.

It might not have been the draft weekend many Irish players wanted, but there's an upside to the slight disappointments.