Notre Dame's NFL Footprint - Part 3

Over the first two parts of this article series, we examined the NFL careers of 28 recent Notre Dame alumni currently active in the NFL across the 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021 draft classes. In this piece, we'll cover 6 more alums from the 2020 draft class and see where they've ended up.

Photo via Notre Dame Athletics

2020 Draft Class

Troy Pride - Dallas Cowboys - CB - 2020 - Round 04: Pick 113

The Carolina Panthers scooped up Pride in the 2020 draft, going in the 4th round with the 113th overall pick. The two parties agreed on a four-year rookie deal for $4.07 million with a $777,476 signing bonus. He began his rookie year with appearances in the first 14 games of the season, along with 8 starts, before a hip strain kept him out of the final two contests. It was a solid first year despite the injury, and Pride finished with 42 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 pass deflections.

Pride was building off his successful rookie season and was poised to compete for a starting job before he tore his ACL in a preseason game. The brutal injury sidelined him for the entire 2021 season, and he was ultimately cut from the team in mid-2022 after failing a physical. It wasn’t until January 2023 that Pride returned to professional ball, signing to the New Orleans Saints practice squad before being waived. He repeated the same process shortly after, signing to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad before being released in December 2023 after appearing in just 1 game with no recorded stats. 

Pride next signed with the Houston Texans practice squad, where he was signed and released twice before signing with the Dallas Cowboys practice squad in December 2024. He was then signed to a one-year, $960,000 contract with Dallas, where he appeared in their final two games of the season. In those two games, Pride started once and recorded 3 tackles and 1 pass deflection. Pride has had a tough break thus far in his professional career and currently sits deep on the Cowboys’ bench, but he’ll have 2025 to earn another contract with the Cowboys. 

Sam Mustipher - LA Chargers - OC/OG - 2020 - Round 03: Pick 067

Mustipher went undrafted in 2019 but signed with the Chicago Bears before being cut shortly after. He then signed with Chicago’s practice squad. That’s where he remained until being called up to active duty in mid-October. Mustipher played 9 games and started 7 despite missing two weeks with a knee sprain. His first several appearances came on special teams, but once he proved himself, he earned offensive reps at center. While he’d finally broken through and earned consistent play, Mustipher’s adjustment wasn’t easy, and PFF graded him as one of the lowest-rated players on the team at the beginning of his stint in Chicago. The Bears just barely made it into the playoffs but lost handily to the Saints 9–21 in the wildcard round. Regardless, Mustipher both played and started in his very first postseason contest. 

2021 and 2022 were transformative years for Mustipher, as he secured the starting center spot, played in 17 games both years, and started at least 16 games each season. Following the 2022 season, the Bears declined to extend Mustipher a qualifying offer, and he became an unrestricted free agent. He ultimately signed with the Baltimore Ravens for the 2023 season. Unfortunately, Mustipher was unable to win the starting center job and settled for a rotational role with an emphasis on the center position. By the end of the season, he’d only appeared in 9 games, with just 2 starts under his belt. It was, without a doubt, a step back from his last two seasons in Chicago, but he quickly moved on. Mustipher initially signed a 1-year deal with the Denver Broncos in early 2024, but was released before the start of the regular season. The following day, the Los Angeles Chargers signed him to their practice squad and eventually promoted him to the active duty roster at the end of October. By season’s end, Mustipher made 12 appearances with just 1 start, with most of his time coming on special teams. He’s had a bit of an up-and-down ride thus far in the NFL, but he has displayed the ability to confidently and consistently hold down the center spot, although it remains to be seen what he does that with in 2025. 

Alohi Gilman - LA Chargers - S - 2020 - Round 06: Pick 186

Gilman was a late 6th-round draft pick, going 186th to the Los Angeles Chargers.  He signed a 4-year $3.48 million rookie contract with a $187,876 signing bonus. Gilman joined his former Irish teammate Drue Tranquill in Los Angeles after the fellow Irishman put a good word in for him with the Chargers coaching staff. He spent his rookie season primarily with the special teams unit, so his defensive reps were limited. Still, he managed to appear in 15 games and earned his first career start in the final game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. He concluded the season with 7 total tackles.

Gilman worked his way up to a third-string safety in 2021, and while he appeared in fewer games with only 11, he started 3 of them and began primarily playing with the defensive unit. His lower game count had nothing to do with his performance; rather, a week eight ankle sprain that sidelined him for one game, and a week 10 quad strain that stole another five games from him. Despite that setback, Gilman finished with 42 total tackles, 1 pass deflection, and his first career interception. That sophomore performance impressed enough to increase his playing time in the future. While his role didn’t budge, Gilman had a career season filled with personal bests. He appeared in a career-high 17 games and 5 starts, along with a career-high 58 tackles, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception. 

2023 was the year everything clicked for Gilman. His hard work and perseverance had paid off, all beginning with a good word from his buddy Tranquill. It was Gilman’s first official starting spot, and he began strong with starts in the first 3 games before suffering a heel injury that sidelined him for 3 more games. He went on to start the next 11 games and cemented himself as a legitimate problem for opposing offenses. Once again, Gilman posted career bests in tackles with 73, pass deflections with 10, interceptions with 2, and forced fumbles with 3. Gilman improved across the board and poised himself for a strong 2024. The Chargers confirmed their confidence in him with a 2-year $10.125 million contract with a $4.5 million signing bonus to keep him in Los Angeles through 2025. 

Now a true starter, Gilman began the season opener but was sidelined for week two with an injury. Thankfully, it only kept him out one game, and he went on to start the next nine games for the Chargers. That is until he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for another four games. He was able to rehab in time for the season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders and finish the season with 50 tackles, his first career sack, 4 pass deflections, and 1 interception. Although it was a step back health-wise, Gilman showed enough spark to believe 2025 can be his best season yet, as long as he remains healthy. 

Cole Kmet - Chicago Bears - TE - 2020 - Round 02: Pick 043

Cole Kmet was a consensus top-two tight-end prospect coming out of college and was being looked at by numerous teams. The Chicago Bears ultimately selected him with the 43rd overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL draft. He signed a four-year $7.57 million rookie contract with a $3.07 million signing bonus. Kmet was known as a blocker coming into the league, but surprised with his receiving prowess. He played all 16 games and started 9 while compiling 28 touches for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 2020 Bears just squeaked into the playoffs but lost their wildcard game against the Saints 9–21. Kmet started his first playoff game and caught three balls for 16 yards. Overall, he was a pleasant surprise for the Bears and cemented Kmet’s role as the starting tight end. 

2021 was the best-case scenario for Kmet, as he both played and started in all 17 games, put up career highs in receptions with 60 and yards with 612, but unfortunately did not score a receiving touchdown. The Bears finished 6–11 and missed the playoffs, but Kmet improved tremendously. 2022 is even more successful, with another 17 games played and started, slightly fewer receptions with 50, and only 544 yards, but this time with a career-high 7 touchdowns. He led Chicago in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Bears regressed and finished 3–14, failing to make the playoffs for the second straight season. In the summer of 2023, Kmet and the Bears agreed to a sizable four-year $50 million contract extension with an $8 million signing bonus. The new deal will keep Kmet in Chicago through the 2027 season. Kmet held up his end of the bargain and started and played 17 games again, setting career highs in receptions with 73, yards with 719, and six touchdowns. It was another banner year for Chicago’s young tight end, yet the Bears failed to make the playoffs yet again and finished with a 7–10 record.

The 2024 season saw Kmet reunite with former Notre Dame teammate Durham Smythe, and the two held down the tight end position for Chicago. Kmet continued his consistency, with another 17 appearances but only 16 starts. Statistically, he regressed, in part due to Chicago’s improving wide receiver group. Kmet finished with 47 catches for 474 yards and 4 touchdowns. Interestingly, Kmet filled in at long snapper for fellow Notre Dame alumnus Scott Daly following a mid-game knee injury, but earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts. The Bears finished at 5–12 and missed the playoffs, but the future looks slightly brighter for both the team and Kmet. It’ll be interesting to see how he responds statistically to last season’s performance and answer whether it was an aberration or more of a regression to the mean. 

Julian Okwara - Arizona Cardinals - OLB - 2020 - Round 04: Pick 130

Okwara was scooped up by the Detroit Lions in the 3rd-round of the 2020 NFL draft with the 67th overall pick. The two parties agreed to a four-year, $4.92 million rookie contract, highlighted by a $1.14 million signing bonus. Okwara played four of Detroit’s first five games in 2020 before suffering a right leg injury in week 6 that sidelined him for 9 games. Thankfully, he was able to return for the final two games of Detroit’s season, but ended with only 6 games played, no starts, and just 3 total tackles in 2020. Things improved in 2021, as Julian finished the season with 13 games played and his first career start despite missing 4 total games, 3 of which were due to an ankle sprain suffered in week 12. He improved statistically with a career-best 27 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, his first career interception, 2 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and an impressive 5 sacks. 2022 was slightly less impressive, as Okwara played in only 10 games, starting just 2 of them. He sustained a hamstring sprain in the preseason that kept him out of Detroit’s week 1 loss to Philly, but he proceeded to play in 10 straight games until week 12, when he sustained another hamstring sprain, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Statistically, Okwara maintained a similar level of production, finishing with 17 total tackles, two sacks, and 3 tackles for loss. 

Okwara was poised for a comeback campaign, but he injured his arm in the final game of the preseason. It sidelined him for the first four games of the season, and he appeared in 9 games with just 1 start. It was Okwara’s fourth consecutive season with injury issues, and his production dropped noticeably in 2023. The Lions finished the year 12–5, making the playoffs and beating the LA Rams 24–23 in the wildcard round. They moved on to defeat the Buccaneers 31–23 before losing in the NFC championship to the 49ers, 31–34. The Detroit Lions released Okwara just after the conclusion of the 2023 regular season and did not appear in any of the Lions’ playoff games. He re-signed with their practice squad but wasn’t offered a contract, making him a free agent. Okwara and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a 1-year $1.325 million contract with a $125,000 signing bonus before being released just before the 2024 season’s start. Days later, Okwara and the Arizona Cardinals agreed to a 1-year $1.125 million contract. Thankfully, he secured a promotion to the active duty roster and appeared in 13 games for the Cardinals with 1 start. It was his best season since 2021, and he finished with 18 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass deflection. As of March 12th, Okwara is an unrestricted free agent and has not yet signed with a new team for the 2025 season. It’s currently unknown if the Arizona Cardinals are looking to bring him back, but the door remains open.

Khalid Kareem - Atlanta Falcons - OLB - 2020 - Round 05: Pick 147

Kareem was the 147th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft, going to the Cincinnati Bengals on a four-year $3.64 million rookie contract with a $354,476 signing bonus. He had a solid rookie season for a backup, playing all 16 games and recording 19 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for loss. Unfortunately, Kareem suffered a shoulder strain in the 2021 preseason that sidelined him for the season's first seven games. He saw his first action in week eight and played 4 games before suffering a concussion in week 15 that kept him out for another game. He finished the season with 7 appearances and his first career start. It was a quieter, injury-interrupted year, but Kareem recorded 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in the regular season and took part in his first postseason run. Kareem appeared in all four of Cincinnati’s games, including their Super Bowl LVI loss to the Rams, and finished with 3 tackles. He began 2022 in Cincinnati but again suffered a preseason injury, this time tweaking his hamstring. It caused him to miss the first four games of the 2022 season before being waived and signed to the practice squad. About a month later, Kareem signed a one-year $895,000 contract with the Indianapolis Colts and appeared in their final 4 games of 2022 but without a start, finishing with just 1 tackle.

Kareem re-signed with the Colts for one year at $1.01 million before being waived just before the start of the 2023 season. He was claimed by Chicago, where he only appeared in their week 8 game against the Chargers. Unfortunately, that was Kareem’s only playing time of 2023, and he finished with just 1 tackle and 1 pass deflection. After the season, the Bears signed him to a 1-year deal worth $1.125 million but released him in late August 2024. Thankfully, Kareem made it onto the Falcons practice squad but only appeared in 2 games, compiling just 4 tackles for the season. Interestingly, 2024 was the first season that Kareem transitioned from a defensive lineman to a linebacker, and it remains unclear which position he’ll move forward with. He recently agreed to a one-year $1.17 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons for the 2025 season. 

Kareem had a tough break in Chicago and has struggled to find his footing since, appearing on three different teams in three years. If he can stay in Atlanta for all of 2025 and remain healthy, the 26-year-old is talented enough to carve out a rotational position for himself within a season.

Next Article

In our next piece, we’ll cover Notre Dame‘s alumni from the 2018 and 2019 NFL draft classes and explore their professional careers thus far.

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