Notre Dame Football: Top 3 NFL Draft prospects to watch in the Citrus Bowl

3. Quenton Nelson, G

Notre Dame’s pride and joy has always been rooted in their offensive line, and this year was no different. In fact, the first two Irish players off the board in this year’s draft will likely be offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey. However, Nelson is expected to be the first off the board as he has been touted the best offensive guard in a pretty strong class.

Nelson has played in at least 12 games over his last three years with the Irish, a testament to his durability at such a grueling position. While there aren’t a whole lot of statistics available for an offensive lineman, one of the more telling signs for any player is a coach’s testimony. As for Nelson, his coaches hold him in the highest possible regard.

Head coach Brian Kelly, labeling Nelson’s performance as “off the charts”, has tried his best to keep his senior along for another year, going as far as jokingly offering Nelson his very own personal parking spot should he return as a graduate student.

While the offensive line isn’t always the most glamorous position in college football, I urge you to just watch Nelson once every few plays. His football IQ is outstanding and can be seen on any given snap, but it’s the effort and intensity with which plays that truly makes him stand out.