9 Notre Dame players attend 2020 NFL combine, show off their skills

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – ABC57’s Vahid Sadrzadeh is in Indianapolis for the 2020 NFL Combine where 9 former Notre Dame Players are there to impress NFL scouts.

Thursday is day one of the combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. The wide receivers and tight ends participated in drills, and the running backs were busy with the bench press.

Wide Receivers Chris Fink and Chase Claypool each already did the bench press, with Fink doing 7 reps and Claypool doing 19.

Tight end Cole Kmet – who is projected to be a high draft pick – did not participate in the bench press, as he is recovering from a minor shoulder injury.

Kmet, Claypool and Fink all ran in the 40 yard dash. Kmet unofficially ran a 4.70. This particular drill will be important for Claypool, who gained a few extra pounds since December.

There has been talks of teams potentially utilizing Claypool as a tight end.

Also at the NFL Combine on day one was Notre Dame Defensive Ends Julian Okwara and Khalid Karim — and both of them sustained injuries during the season.

Kareem, however, played through his injury — a torn labrum — for the final month and a half of the season.

"I couldn't look myself in the mirror knowing that I had something left in the tank and I didn't give it to my team,” Kareem said at the combine.

Okwara, while speaking to the media, talked about getting back to full health.

“I've been running recently getting up to speed,” Okwara said. “I wanted to compete out in front of everybody to show them who Julian Okwara is and do pro day, but god has a plan and my process is slower than everybody else’s. I’m just taking it day by day.”

Okwara hopes to be ready for the NFL preseason, and Kareem says he wants to be back to full strength at his pro day workout.

A lot more is to come from these Notre Dame standouts at the NFL combine in the next few days.

And they hope to make a big splash with NFL scouts.