When Notre Dame’s Audric Estime announced he was skipping the Sun Bowl and declaring the NFL draft this came as no surprise to Irish fans. In just 3 seasons at ND (one as the workhorse) he averaged over 6 yards a carry. Let’s take a look at what makes Estime a solid NFL Draft prospect.

A Season to Remember

2023 was a season to remember for Estime. In 12 games played he rushed for 1341 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Estime carried the load for the 10-3 nationally ranked Irish. In his last game played for ND he racked up 238 yards and 4 TDs on 25 carries against Stanford. It’s not a surprise he chose to close the book on his College career at that point.

Downhill Runner

Estime brings a “Derrick Henry” style running game to the table. Estime’s strength as a runner does not rely on the explosive first step but rather what he does after contact. Last season, he was one of the most difficult backs to tackle, his 64 missed tackles forced ranked 6th among all backs in the 2024 draft class, and an amazing 892 of his yards came after contact.

How Estime Stacks Up

Estime’s 4.72 Combine 40 time was disappointing to a lot of scouts and fans. He improved that time to a 4.58 at Notre Dame’s Pro Day putting him back in the mix among top draft prospects. His physique is impressive. He’s listed as 5′ 11” and 221 lbs, but he has the look of a muscle bound 240lb easily. Estime had 22 runs of 15 or more yards last season.

His pass protection skills are impressive as well. He has the ability to power forward for short yardage first downs and goal line situations making him a target for many NFL teams. Irish Coach Marcus Freeman had this to say about Estime at the Pro Day “I think for me,

I’ve watched five or six plays from this past season where he outruns a defense and nobody comes close to him. So I knew it, listen, Audric has played fast. I know personally for him, he wanted to go out and show that hey, I’m faster than a 4.7, and he proved that today.”

Draft Projection

Most “experts” are projecting Estime to be selected in the 3rd round, a few have him going in the 4th. He fits the need of a team looking for a durable, powerful, and reliable back that can be used in all situations. Because of his well rounded skill-set, look for him to go a bit earlier than the “projected”.

Post Season Awards Snub

Estime is motivated by his critics. When the “Doak Walker” Award semi-finalist list was released prior to the Stanford game Estimé was mysteriously left off. Coach Freeman was asked if that motivated Estime even further.

Freeman said “We’re all competitors, and we all find different ways to motivate us. And I’m sure that motivated him. What I tell him is that, ‘I want it to motivate you to work, motivate you to do the proper work that it’s going to take to get the outcome we all want.’ We all want more. We all went greater, and not everybody’s willing to work. I know he is motivated to prepare and motivated to work to get the outcome we want on Saturday.”

Audric’s Legacy

Estime is a fan favorite in Irish Nation and has received praise from his coaches and team mates. He leaves just 97 yards shy of eclipsing Vagas Ferguson’s 44-year-old program record for total rushing yards in one season. His 18 rushing touchdowns last season set a program record. Estime had this to say after the Stanford game “It’s amazing. Coming into this school, coming in as a freshman, coming into Notre Dame, I always said, ‘I’m going to give them something to remember. I’m going to do something legendary.’ Having a record like that has my name stamped in the history books forever.”

Reggie Sanderson – We Like Sportz Notre Dame and Cowboys writer. Co-host of the “Sons of the Star” Podcast. 

Follow him on X @Cowboy_Regg and/or his ND fan account @Irish_Cowboy88

Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated