Former Notre Dame star Howard Cross III predicts the next wave of Irish players that NFL Draft evaluators will be gushing over in the future

After beginning his career at defensive end, Notre Dame All-American defensive tackle Howard Cross eventually developed into one of the top defensive linemen in the entire country. During his six years with the Fighting Irish, Cross managed to collect 169 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Now Cross has a new goal at hand, making the jump to the NFL.

With the recruiting upgrade we have seen under head coach Marcus Freeman, you can expect an uptick in terms of NFL talent in the future. At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Cross was asked about the younger Fighting Irish players that we will be talking about in the next couple of classes.

It ended up being a long list for Cross, who agreed that the level of talent in the program right now is immense.

“There are a lot of guys I can tell you right now are only going to be there for three years,” Cross said to the media. “Bryce Young, Boubacar Traore, and Leonard Moore. I am sure this is going to be Jaden Greathouse’s last year. Donovan Hinish is going to be a great player.”

It wasn’t overly surprising to see Cross throw some love to the defensive side of the football. That unit is stockpiled with talent everywhere. The Greathouse mention was interesting, especially his comment about him potentially leaving after this next season. That would take a huge season, which he is definitely capable of.

In a follow up question, Cross was asked about Young and what makes him special. He proceeded to gush over the physical tools that he possesses.

“He is obviously very much skilled,” Cross explained. “When you are 6-6 and can move like that, that is just straight up physical talent.”

It wasn’t too long ago that these NFL Draft conversations were pretty short concerning Notre Dame. You would have elite players like Kyle Hamilton, but the volume never seemed to be there. As Coach Freeman and the staff continues to build up the roster, more exciting times during draft season are surely ahead.