Notre Dame Pro Day: Audric Estimé improves 40-yard time
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Notre Dame’s Pro Day on Thursday featured a quarterback the country is talking about, a running back who needed to have a good performance, and an offensive lineman who has already proven he’s a first-round pick.
Audric Estimé came into the day with the most to prove after he ran the slowest 40-yard dash time among all running backs at the NFL Combine with a 4.71-second run.
He improved that to a 4.58 — a big step forward for him in the draft process.
“(At the) Combine, I feel like I did well on everything, but I knew my 40 had more in there, and you just got to put that in the past and prepare for what’s forward,” Estimé said. “I prepared hard for it and I improved, and that’s all you can do.”
Even though it’s a difference of just over a tenth of a second, it’s important to scouts in showing just how fast he is.
“I feel I did better… a lot better,” Estimé said. “I feel I’m very fast and I feel like I can run faster, but the 40 is done with. I’ll probably never have to run it again in my life. It’s time to play football, and that’s what I do best is play football.”
Being back at Notre Dame certainly helped him cut down on that time.
“Comfort level was at an all-time high,” Estimé said. “I’m back home, I’m back where I did this. I’ve been here since I was 17 years old. I’ve ran fast on this field plenty of times. And Coach Deland (McCullough), he’s a big mentor in my life and being around him just makes me feel comfortable.”
These measurables will factor into the draft process, but Estimé's production as Notre Dame’s lead back the past two seasons will be his biggest selling point.
“Scouts watch film and they say I have really good film. Scouts on the field just said I look really good today. That’s all I can do is try to be my best version of myself, and that’s what I did today.”
Going into next month’s draft, Estimé is projected as a mid-round pick by most but he’s hoping Thursday’s performance will help him move up those draft boards.
The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled to take place from April 25 to April 27.
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