Notre dame could have two first round defensive backs in the 2027 NFL Draft
Ryan Roberts breaks down the early draft grades both Leonard Moore and Tae Johnson received ahead of the 2026 college football season
Video Transcript
The conversation's always gonna start with Leonard Moore.
Leonard Moore is, according to NFS, the second highest graded player for the 2027 NFL Draft in the preseason.
Number one is, of course, Jeremiah Smith, wide receiver from Ohio State, who I think had the highest NFS grade that I've ever seen.
But second, tied for second, was Leonard Moore.
Leonard Moore comes in with a grade that would be a high first-round grade.
He was tied with Dylan Stewart, the talented pass rusher out of South Carolina.
So clearly people in the NFL think that this kid is gonna go very, very early.
Notre Dame has not had a cornerback selected in the first round since the early '90s.
I think Leonard Moore is gonna change that, and he could potentially maybe set a record for the highest cornerback ever drafted for the Fighting Irish.
But it doesn't stop there.
One of the more underrated players on Notre Dame's defense last year, maybe not as much from the Notre Dame fan base, but from the national perspective, was Tay Johnson, who was a first-year starter, didn't even begin the year as the starting safety.
He was behind Jalen Stroman, and then he quickly took over after a couple games.
Tay Johnson, folks, despite being a redshirt sophomore, already graded by the NFL, and he has some high grades right now.
I think he was like a top three to four safety on the spring grades that I have seen, which says, one, there's at least conversation about him potentially entering, 'cause teams don't have to put up players.
But if there is an inkling of conversation around, like, he might be an early declaration player, their name usually gets thrown out there.
So NFL is clearly high on Tay Johnson, despite him being a redshirt sophomore.
We already have verified measurables on him at six foot one and three quarters and right around 200 pounds.
So this is a player that is on NFL radars, and I know some Notre Dame fans are gonna be s- Notre Dame fans in the chat are gonna say, "Tay's not gonna enter the "2027 NFL Draft."
Well, folks, just, just be ready for it, okay?
'Cause there is high opinions on Tay around the league already, and I think that he would be a top 50 selection if he enters based upon just kinda his upside and projection.
But there's certainly first-round tools to work with there if he continues to ascend as a football player.
Let's talk about a couple others, because it does not stop there in terms of draftable grades from the NFL right now.
DJ Mo-
