Cincinnati Bengals

Notre Dame Football: 5 Best Former Irish in the NFL

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:33 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Noah Strackbein/FanSided via Slap the Sign

Notre Dame football is known for producing quality talent for the NFL, but who’s the best of the best?

Look through the NFL for Notre Dame players. Are you done? I hope you noticed that there’s at least one Notre Dame football alumn on 20 different NFL teams.

There’s currently 30 former Irish playing in the pros, and they aren’t your average Joe. Guys like Zack Martin, Kyle Rudolph, Theo Riddick, etc. have filled the NFL with plenty of talent.

With the NFL Pro Bowl rosters being released, Slap the Sign decided to take a look at the best former Irish playing the National Football League. With some of the best players at their position coming from South Bend, it’s hard to decide who’s the top dog.

There’s plenty of names to choose from. Over the upcoming years, this list will continue to become harder to create. With the amount of talent Notre Dame has in the next level, there’s going to be more and more top tier players making it nearly impossible to decide who’s the best.

But, in 2016, there are five players worthy of being the top Notre Dame football alumni. Although none of these players will be named the NFL MVP, they should. These players are some of the best at their position and are taking their teams to new heights.

So, who are the best former Irish playing in the NFL?

Stephon Tuitt

Defensive End, Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s taking time, but Stephon Tuitt is becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers’ best defensive lineman. With 10.5 sacks over the last two years, Tuitt has made his mark in the league.

In his third year, Tuitt has had to take over the leadership role on Pittsburgh’s defensive line. With Cameron Hayward lost for the 2016 season, Tuitt has made it clear that he’s now the leader of this front three.

It’s no surprise Tuitt is on the list. In college, the defensive end was a monster for Notre Dame. In 2012, when the Irish played for the National Championship, Tuitt was one of the top players on a defense that was one of the best in college football.

Coming into the league, Tuitt looked like he may need a few years to adjust to the next level. But once he figured out his game, this 6’6″ monster has made offenses fear him. The best part, he’s still only 23-years-old. Tuitt has awhile left in this league, which only means he’ll get better.

Pittsburgh would be crazy to let him go while they’re rebuilding their defense. With a lot of work to do before the Steel Curtain is back once again, they’re looking to save any uprising talent for as long as they can. Leading the group of up and coming stars is Stephon Tuitt.

Golden Tate

Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions

Golden Tate has been the lead wide receiver just twice in his NFL career, and has shown he’s able to handle the load each time. In his seventh season in the NFL, Tate is looking to break 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in three years.

Tate may not have the crazy numbers a superstar wide receiver has. But for most of his career, Tate has been known to be the second man in the receiving core, behind Calvin Johnson, and before that, Percy Harvin.

That’s never stopped him from making his name known in the pros. In Detroit’s first year without Megatron, Tate has stepped up big, becoming the Lion’s primary receiver and doing well at it. With 942 yards already accumulated on the season, Tate has done everything needed to Keep Detroit playoff bound.

If his first year as the number one guy was this successful, the Lions and Notre Dame fans should be excited to see what Tate has to offer in the upcoming seasons. At 28-years-old, Tate still has a few years left before he’ll need to start slowing down. With a chance to become a superstar in sight, look for Tate to finally make it known that’s one of the best.

Tyler Eifert

Tight End, Cincinnati Bengals

Tyler Eifert is four seasons into his NFL campaign, missed all but one game in 2014, and is still one of the best tight ends in the league. As a touchdown monster, Eifert is considered around the league as a top pass catcher in the tight end position.

Last season was the year Eifert really showed the world he’s going to be great. With 13 touchdowns on the season, the Bengals knew right away they’d found themselves a superstar tight end. In just eight games this season, Eifert has already caught for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns, while missing the first six games of the 2016 season.

For someone who was known as Kyle Rudolph’s predecessor in college, Eifert has proven he’s a star above anyone else. Don’t get it wrong, Rudolph has also shown he’s a top player in the NFL but compared to Eifert he’s second in the tight end category.

Eifert has dealt with injury troubles through his four-year career. Once his body strengthens and he’s able to play full seasons, he’s going to become one of the best tight ends the NFL has seen.

Right now, he’s easily one of the best former Notre Damers in the pros. With a long career ahead of him, he could very easily work his way into the number one spot by the time he hangs up the jersey.

Harrison Smith

Safety, Minnesota Vikings

In five seasons in the NFL, Harrison Smith has made it clears he’s one of, if not the, best safety in the National Football League. With over 100 combined tackles his rookie year, and not less than 50 through any season in the NFL, Smith is a household name when talking about top defensive backs.

Smith is easily among the best secondary players in the NFL. For five straight seasons, Smith has been top dog in Minnesota’s defensive backfield and shows no sign of slowing down. For the first five games of the 2016 season, Smith led Minnesota to a 5-0 record and was the hottest team in the NFL. No one can say that Minnesota’s defense is the reason they’ve fallen out of playoff contention. If this defensive unit, or just Smith, were on a talented offensive team, they’d be one of the best in the NFL.

Smith has plenty of great football left in him. He’s only 27-years-old, and year after year shows he’s only getting better. It’ll be tough watching him continue to play for a team with little future. The Minnesota Vikings may have a lot of talent, but without staying healthy, something the Vikings haven’t been able to do, they’ll never reach their full potential.

Whether Smith gets to shine in the playoffs or not, he’s going to be known as one of the best safeties of his generation when it’s all over. If he continues to build his game and get better, he could become one of the greatest Notre Dame football alumni of all-time.

Zack Martin

Offensive Guard, Dallas Cowboys

Is it really any surprise Zack Martin is number one? If the NFL actually decided season awards off of who deserved them, the Dallas Cowboy’s offensive line would win MVP this season.

Right from the start, Martin became not only a top former Irish but a top NFL guard. In three season, Martin has been the lead man in a Cowboy’s unit that has rushed for 1,000 yards each season, and over 1,500 twice.

Martin is easily the top Notre Dame football alumni in the pros. He’s only 26-years-old and already has been selected to three Pro Bowls. On top of that, he’s made the First-Team All-Pro squad his rookie year, and Second-Team All-Pro last season. And, with the amount of success the Cowboys are having this season, it’ll be no surprise to see him make an All-Pro team once again.

Martin is a freak on the offensive line. He was another member of that 2012 team and could have very easily been the best player on the offensive side of the ball. It’s no surprise he’s succeeding at the next level. It’s not even shocking that he’s already one of the best.

In three seasons, Martin has become a top lineman in the NFL. With an entire career ahead of him, Martin has a chance to become one of the greatest offensive linemen in the history of the NFL. On top of that, he could go down as the best former Irish to play in the pros. For Notre Dame fans, we all saw this coming.

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Kyle Rudolph

Minnesota Vikings

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Stephon Tuitt

Theo Riddick

Zack Martin