Multiple former Notre Dame stars on the outside looking in on a list most would expect them to be a part of

When you think about Notre Dame football, offensive line play is something that typically comes to mind very quickly. With standouts over the years such as Zack Martin, Quenton Nelson, Ronnie Stanley, Joe Alt, and Mike McGlinchey, that offensive line room has been spoiled with some insane talent over the years. 

With that type of tradition, you would expect any NFL rankings list concerning offensive lineman to have several former Fighting Irish players listed. In a top ten ranking of the best NFL offensive tackles released recently by ESPN, that was not the case. Jeremey Fowler put together the ranking, using the opinions of coaches, scouts, and executives. 

There wasn’t a single Notre Dame mentioned in that top ten ranking. There were, however, two former Fighting Irish stars that made the honorable mention list. One was Los Angeles Chargers starting right tackle Joe Alt, which was impressive considering he is coming off just his rookie year in the NFL. 

Here is what Fowler wrote about Alt. 

Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers:"Tough, smart, young, still growing into his body and very technically sound. He'll only get better." -- AFC executive 

Considering Alt’s age and developmental track, it’s reasonable to think that he could be on this list very soon. The other former Notre Dame standout mentioned was Baltimore Ravens starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley. He has been in this conversation for several years, but has battled injuries the last couple of seasons. 

He is coming off of a slight revival in 2024. That put him on the cusp of making the list. Fowler wrote positively of Stanley. 

Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore Ravens:"I thought he played better last year than the year before. Was more consistent." -- NFL personnel evaluator

With Zack Martin retiring from the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, the interior offensive line list was also light of former Notre Dame players. Quenton Nelson came in at No. 3 on that list, but no other Golden Domer was mentioned. As a Fighting Irish fan, you would hope that would change in the near future. 

On the current version of the team, there are several players that could have NFL upside with future development. That includes Charles Jagusah, who is a stellar talent, but needs to stay on the field. Aamil Wagner, Billy Schrauth, and Ashton Craig have also showed upside when healthy. 

Young guns such as Anthonie Knapp, Guerby Lambert, and Will Black are also work keeping close tabs on to populate these types of lists down the road.