Over the past week, the NFL has slowly released their player-voted top 100 players list. As always, the Irish were well represented across the board. Here are the former Irish stars who made this year’s list:
Photo by Notre Dame Athletics
Julian Love (Rank: 95; Seattle Seahawks)
Love makes his first appearance on the NFL Top 100 list following his career-best season. The lockdown defensive back spent three seasons in South Bend before declaring for the NFL Draft following his All-American junior campaign.
In 38 career games with the Irish, Love totaled 176 tackles, 39 pass deflections, five interceptions including two pick-sixes, and four fumble recoveries. He was selected in the 4th round of the 2019 draft by the New York Giants.
During his four-year Giants tenure, Love made 32 starts in 64 appearances. He finished his New York career with 291 tackles, 18 pass deflections, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two recoveries. Love was also an impact player for the Giants special teams units during this time.
After playing out his rookie contract, Love entered free agency and signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023. This past season Love appeared in all 17 games with 12 starts. He earned his first Pro Bowl appearance after posting 123 tackles, 14 pass deflections, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a recovery. His most notable performance came in Seattle’s week 15 upset win versus the Philadelphia Eagles when he recorded two interceptions and nine tackles, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Love’s breakout campaign earned himself a nice payday, as he recently signed a 3-year, $33 million extension this offseason.
Harrison Smith (Rank: 93; Minnesota Vikings)
Besides Carolina Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen, Harrison Smith is the longest tenured former Irish player currently active in the NFL. The six-time Pro Bowl safety is entering his 13th NFL season, all with the Minnesota Vikings.
Smith spent four seasons in South Bend from 2008-2011, finishing his Irish career with 307 tackles, 20 pass deflections, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a recovery. All seven of his interceptions occurred in the 2010 season, tied for the 6th-most interceptions in a season by an Irish defender.
The Vikings selected Smith with the 29th overall pick in the 2012 draft. Although he may not be a NFL Hall of Famer, he has certainly left his mark on the league over the past decade-plus. Amongst active NFL defenders throughout their careers, Smith has the 2nd-most interceptions and 5th-most tackles. Over his 12 seasons, Smith has made 176 appearances with 175 starts. In all, he has surpassed over 1,000 tackles while recording 86 pass deflections and 34 interceptions including four pick-sixes.
Smith’s accolades include the following:
Six Pro Bowl selections
Seven NFL Top 100 appearances (including this year)
2012 NFL All-Rookie Team
Two-time AP All-Pro (1x 1st-Team)
Two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Week
The 35-year old has withstood father time so far as he is still acknowledged as a top defensive back in the NFL. There are rumors that this could be his final season based on the way his contract is currently structured. Regardless, Smith is an Irish and Vikings legend who’s impact on the game should be acknowledged for years after he ultimately calls it a career.
Kyren Williams (Rank: 78; Los Angeles Rams)
The most surprising addition to this list is running back Kyren Williams, entering just his 3rd NFL season, he has already garnered his peers’ respect. Injuries in the LA Rams running back room this past season opened the door for Williams to shine. And he did exactly that.
In 12 games played last season, Williams made 11 starts and totaled over 1,300 all-purpose yards with 15 touchdowns. As a rusher, he ran for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns on 228 attempts. In the pass game, he recorded 32 receptions for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. Arguably, his best performance occurred in a week 12 win at Arizona when he rushed for 143 yards and added two receiving touchdowns, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Here is where Williams ranked amongst the NFL’s best during his 2023 Pro Bowl campaign:
1st in rushing yards per game (95.3)
3rd in total rushing yards (1,144)
3rd in total touchdowns (15)
6th in yards per rush attempt (5.0)
Prior to setting the NFL on fire, Williams spent three seasons at Notre Dame. Williams joined elite company in South Bend after posting back-to-back seasons with 1,000-plus rushing yards. In 28 games played, Williams finished his Irish career with 2,153 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on 419 carries. As a receiving threat, he racked up 78 receptions for 675 yards and 4 touchdowns. His 14 rushing touchdowns in the 2021 season are tied for 8th all-time by an Irish rusher in a single season. In addition, his 27 career rushing touchdowns are 10th all-time by an Irish rusher.
The Rams’ selection of Williams in the 5th round of the 2022 draft is easily considered a steal now. Williams will look to build off his Pro Bowl campaign as he enters his athletic prime.
Zack Martin (Rank: 53; Dallas Cowboys)
The stalwart offensive lineman, Zack Martin, was a captain on the 2012 BCS Championship runner-ups. His dominance in the trenches led to him being drafted 16th overall in the 2014 draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
Since then, Martin has been one of the more consistently great guards in the league. His favorite stat is probably that he has more Pro Bowl selections (9) than holding penalties (8) during his career.
It is no surprise Martin has made over $93 million in career earnings as his accolades speak for themselves:
2014 NFL All-Rookie Team
Nine-time AP All-Pro (Seven-time 1st-Team)
Nine-time Pro Bowler
Eight NFL Top 100 appearances (including this year)
Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010’s Team
The 34 year old has acknowledged retirement is in the “realm of possibilities” following this season. You could probably debate whether he is first-ballot or not, but there is no question Zack Martin deserves a spot in Canton eventually.
Kyle Hamilton (Rank: 43; Baltimore Ravens)
Finally, the highest ranked former Irish player is defensive back Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton is the highest ranked safety on the NFL’s Top 100 list after just one season as a full-time starter.
At Notre Dame, Hamilton spent three seasons with the Irish, most notably as a key contributor on the 2020 CFP team. In 31 career appearances, Hamilton recorded 138 tackles, 16 pass deflections, and eight interceptions including a pick-six his freshman season. Hamilton’s impact was widely acknowledged across the country as he was named a 2021 Consensus All-American despite only playing seven games.
This prominence led to his eventual selection as the 14th overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Baltimore Ravens. This past season, Hamilton started all 15 games he appeared in, helping lead the Ravens to the AFC North division title. At just 23 years old, Hamilton was selected to the Pro Bowl and named an AP All-Pro First-Teamer. He finished his campaign with 81 tackles, 13 pass deflections, four interceptions including a pick-six, and a forced fumble.
The sky's the limit for the young and athletic safety. Obviously it would be difficult to project his career but I would bet this will not be his last appearance on the NFL Top 100.
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I’m surprised not that Q.Nelson is not the list this year….