Notre Dame Football: Ranking the top 5 moments from the 2010s
By Jacob Wilson
2. Nelson and McGlinchey go top 10 in NFL draft
If you haven’t noticed yet, the 2017 season was quite an eventful one for Notre Dame football. The Irish finally got over the hump against USC, moved one step closer to making the switch to Book, and saw two of their most talented offensive linemen in recent memory taken within the top 10 picks in the NFL Draft.
While technically occurring in 2018, both Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey’s dues were paid over the course of the 2017 season and prior. Nelson, a guard, and McGlinchey, a tackle, were two of the most impressive offensive linemen in the country who just happened to play on the same team.
This sentiment was clearly agreed upon by general managers in the NFL as Nelson and McGlinchey made history as only the third pair of offensive linemen from the same school to go within the top 10 in the same draft. Nelson was taken off the board by the Indianapolis Colts at No. 6 while McGlinchey was snagged by the San Francisco 49ers at No. 9.
This was an exceptional testament to then offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and the unit as a whole, playing a significant role in Notre Dame’s recruiting at the position down the road.