Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Audric Estimé heads to the 2024 NFL Draft on the back of a remarkable junior season that cemented him amongst the very best backs in college football.
Now destined for the NFL, one prominent draft Analyst has a lofty player comp for the former Fighting Irish phenom.
NFL Draft Player Comps: Audric Estimé Earns Eye-Opening Comparison
Despite rushing for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2023, Estimé hasn’t received the attention in the 2024 NFL Draft class that his production and talent might suggest. That situation might be about to change, with ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller comparing the Notre Dame product to former San Francisco 49ers legend Frank Gore.
“I’m a big fan of Audric Estimé — his contact balance, his body lean,” Miller proclaimed during a media conference call on Tuesday.
“There’s almost a little bit of old-school Frank Gore to his game, where you have no idea how he’s going to shoot through a gap, and all of a sudden, he gets seven yards. There’s more than enough power there that he can be a three-down back with that kind of usage.”
While there’s something of a size disparity between the two backs — Gore played at 5’9″, 212 pounds, during the height of his NFL career, while Estimé is listed at 5’11 1/2″ and 215 pounds by Notre Dame — the NFL Draft player comps between the two are deeply rooted in how they play the game of football.
Estimé is a freak at the running back position who is as likely to hurdle you as he is to bulldoze you out of the way or stiff-arm you in the face. There’s an unerring physicality and anger to the way he plays the game of football, similar to the brand that kept Gore a fixture in the NFL for 16 seasons.
The Notre Dame rusher has been an enforcer for the last two seasons for the Fighting Irish. Not only is he capable of breaking tackles and breaking out into the open field, but Estimé’s also a dominant pass protector — the value of which cannot be discounted as it pertains to his 2024 NFL Draft stock and long-term NFL career.
Furthermore, while his pass-catching numbers might not measure up to some other running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Estimé’s more than adept at being a receiving option out of the backfield at the next level.
Incidentally, Gore was also used sparingly as a receiving option for the Miami Hurricanes during his college career and produced fewer receptions, receiving yards, receiving yards per catch, and touchdowns than Estimé in three years at the collegiate level.
Gore was the sixth running back selected in the 2005 NFL Draft. Three were selected in the first round — Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, and Cadillac Williams — and two more were taken in Round 2 before the 49ers pulled the trigger and took a player who would go on to set an NFL record with 15 straight seasons of 500+ rushing yards.
According to Miller, Estimé may be selected higher than RB6 in the 2024 NFL Draft, telling the media conference call that “he is, right now, my No. 2 running back” in the class.
KEEP READING: NFL Draft Analyst Draws Similarities Between Caleb Williams and Patrick Mahomes
The ESPN NFL Draft analyst also offers up an intriguing landing spot for the former Notre Dame rusher.
“At the [Dallas] Cowboys, he’d do so well with their offensive line.”
Running back is considered one of the top needs for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2024 NFL Draft, so the landing spot makes sense. The franchise always had the measure of Gore during his NFL career. Perhaps they’re the team to best weaponize Estimé, the man set to terrorize NFL defenses in the coming years.
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!