Each year, following the conclusion of the NFL draft and free agent signings, Irish Illustrated provides a rundown of the players/talent lost at Notre Dame and at each of its 12 opponents in the fall.

With the completion of the three-day NFL draft and four days of free-agent signings, Irish Illustrated presents the fourth annual "talent drain" story as it relates to Notre Dame and its upcoming 12 opponents.

As we do throughout the summer with our First Rate series – a ranking of Irish opponents by position – we include Notre Dame in the study so as to determine how much talent the Irish have in comparison to the teams they will play in September, October and November.

Who among Notre Dame and its 12 opponents in 2018 lost the most in the NFL draft and on the free-agent market this past week?

For the record, last year's spring talent drain analysis among Notre Dame and its 2017 opponents had Miami with the most talent lost. There remained plenty of talent in Coral Gables and Mark Richt won 10 games. Another batch of players were sent to the NFL out of Miami last week.

Listed No. 3 on our pre-season list last year for the most talent lost was North Carolina, which went from eight wins to three. Listed No. 4 was Temple, which went from 10 wins to seven.

No. 13 represents the least amount of talent lost and No. 1 represents the most. Keep in mind these rankings are based upon the normal talent expected at each school. In other words, programs like Pittsburgh cannot afford a talent drain the way Florida State and USC can.

13. MICHIGAN (8-5)

• Draft Choices (2): C-Mason Cole (3rd Arizona), DT-Maurice Hurst (5th Oakland)

• Free Agents (2): LB-Mike McCray (Miami), FB-Khalid Hill (Seattle)

• Recap: Just four seniors started on offense and defense for the Wolverines in 2017. Cole started 53 games for the Wolverines. He was named 2nd-team all-Big Ten at center in 2016 and was named to the 2nd-team at left tackle in 2017. Hurst finished seventh on the team in tackles with 61 while recording 14½ tackles for loss, five sacks and three quarterback hurries. McCray was the team's No. 2 tackler with 84 stops, 17 tackles for loss and five sacks.

12. SYRACUSE (4-8)

• Draft Choices (1): ILB-Zaire Franklin (7th Indianapolis)

• Free Agents (4): ILB-Parris Bennett (Green Bay), WR-Steve Ishmael (Indianapolis), OT-Jamar McGloster (San Francisco), WR-Ern Philips (Tampa Bay)

• Recap: Syracuse started just six seniors on the offense and defense combined so Dino Babers' third season with the Orange should show some results after back-to-back 4-8 seasons.

Franklin is one of Syracuse's most productive linebackers of all-time with 310 tackles, 31½ tackles for loss and 8½ sacks as a four-year starter. Bennett led the '17 team in tackles (115) and tackles for loss (11). Nearly half of Ishmael's 219 career receptions (105) came in the '17 season when he totaled 1,347 receiving yards and seven TDs. Philips, more of a possession receiver, caught 224 passes for 2,071 yards and 15 TDs in his career. Those are lofty numbers to lose at receiver, but Babers' scheme creates playmakers in the passing game.

11. STANFORD (9-5)

• Draft Choices (4): S-Justin Reid (3rd Houston), DT-Harrison Phillips (3rd Buffalo), TE-Dalton Schultz (4th Dallas), OLB-Peter Kalambayi (6th Houston)

• Free Agents (2): FB-Daniel Marx (Atlanta), CB-Quenton Meeks (Jacksonville)

• Recap: There were no seniors in Stanford's starting offense last year. Plus, the spectacular Bryce Love, who easily could have gone to the NFL early, decided to return to The Farm.

Early-entry junior Reid had five of Stanford's 18 interceptions while finishing second on the team in tackles with 94 last year. Phillips truly was the anchor of the Cardinal defense, making an astonishing 98 tackles from a defensive tackle position with 17 tackles for loss and 7½ sacks. Schultz never did join the long line of Stanford star tight ends, but he finished with 55 catches and five TDs in his career. Kalambayi always was more hype than consistent productivity, but 18½ career sacks would place him among the upper-echelon at Notre Dame. Meeks' 50-yard interception return for a score early in the third quarter of Stanford's game at Notre Dame in '16 proved instrumental in Christian McCaffrey's absence.

10. NOTRE DAME (10-3)

• Draft Choices (4): OG-Quenton Nelson (1st Indianapolis), OT-Mike McGlinchey (1st San Francisco), TE-Durham Smythe (4th Miami), WR-Equanimeous St. Brown (6th Green Bay)

• Free Agents (3): LB-Nyles Morgan (Chicago), DE-Andrew Trumbetti (Chicago), RB-Josh Adams (Philadelphia)

• Recap: With nine starters back on defense, the Irish suffered among the least amount of talent drain among its 12 upcoming opponents, although the loss of Nelson-McGlinchey accounts for much more than the loss of two players. Additionally, the loss of Adams a year prematurely from the offensive backfield is a significant blow as well, particularly without a clear heir apparent.

For the first time since 1993 when QB-Rick Mirer and RB-Jerome Bettis went second and tenth respectively, the Irish had two players chosen in the top 10 of the first round, which goes a long way toward explaining Notre Dame's 269.3 yards rushing per game in '17. McGlinchey started 51 games in an Irish uniform while Nelson started 37.

Smythe caught just 28 passes in his career with the Irish, but six went for touchdowns. St. Brown caught 58 passes for 961 yards (16.6-yard average) and nine touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016. Morgan was a solid but not a top-notch linebacker, which allows for the Te'von Coney-Drue Tranquill tandem to be an upgrade at inside linebacker.

9. BALL STATE (2-10)

• Draft Choices: None

• Free Agents (1): DE-Anthony Winbush (Atlanta)

• Recap: Winbush pitched a tent in opposing Mid-American Conference offensive backfields with 32½ tackles for loss, 25 of which were sacks.

The Cardinals' talent base, of course, cannot be measured by the NFL draft/free agency alone since so few Mid-American Conference players end up playing on the next level. For the record, Ball State lost eight senior starters from the 22-man No. 1 offense/defense, including Winbush, who was the only Cardinal player to be named to the all-MAC 1st-team.

WR-Justin Hall (78 catches, 801 yards, three TDs) was named second-team all-MAC. Third-team offensive guard Vinnie Palazeti and third-team kick returner Malik Dunner (24.4-yard average, one TD) also departed.

8. NORTHWESTERN (10-3)

• Draft Choices (1): RB-Justin Jackson (Los Angeles Chargers)

• Free Agents (3): DB-Kyle Queiro (Dallas), DL-Tyler Lancaster (Green Bay), S-Godwin Igwebuike (Tampa Bay)

• Recap: Ten seniors dotted the 2017 Northwestern starting lineup as the Wildcats won 10 games for the second time in three seasons and third time in the last six years. Jackson played a prominent role as a freshman in Northwestern's overtime victory over Notre Dame in 2014. He surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in all four seasons, totaling 5,440 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also was a threat catching the football with 122 receptions.

Igwebuike played 50 games for Northwestern with 324 tackles and seven interceptions. Five of Queiro's eight career interceptions came in '17. Lancaster left Northwestern with 18½ career tackles for loss, nine of which came in '17.

7. WAKE FOREST (8-5)

• Draft Choices (2): S-Jessie Bates III (2nd Cincinnati), DE-Duke Ejiofor (6th Houston)

• Free Agents (1): TE-Cameron Serigne (New Orleans)

• Recap: The Demon Deacons lost just five senior starters, although one could argue that the departure of Bates and Ejiofor takes a significant chunk out of the defense. Bates, the former two-star prep prospect, became a force under defensive coordinator Mike Elko's tutelage, totaling 100 tackles and five interceptions in 2016. Ejiofor put up video-game numbers his last two seasons with 17 tackles for loss in both 2016 and 2017 with 10½ of his 24 career sacks coming in '16. Serigne was a steady force for the Demon Deacons in the passing game with 174 receptions for 2,075 yards and 21 touchdowns. Nine of those scores came in 2017.

QB John Wolford likely won't show up in any NFL free agent listing, but Wofford was arguably – Sam Darnold included – the most dangerous/productive quarterback the Irish faced a year ago as the Demon Deacons' second-half explosion against Notre Dame showed. His loss, coupled with Bates and Ejiofor, account for such a high talent-drain ranking despite losing just five senior starters.

6. NAVY

• Draft Choices: None

• Free Agents: None

• Recap: When the U.S. Department of Defense rescinded its 2016 policy that allowed military academy athletes to defer duty to give the NFL a try right out of school, it ultimately created the path for current Irish safety Alohi Gilman to transfer to Notre Dame, where he likely will start this fall.

Among the seniors gone from the 2017 Navy team are fullback Chris High (621 yards rushing), outside linebacker D.J. Palmore (29 career tackles for loss, 10½ sacks), 2017 leading tackler/linebacker Micah Thomas and cornerback Elijah Merchant. Ten of the 22 offensive/defensive starters on the 2017 squad are gone, which represents a substantial amount of the Midshipmen's talent base.

5. VIRGINIA TECH (9-4)

• Draft Choices (5): OLB-Tremaine Edmunds (1st Buffalo), S-Terrell Edmunds (1st Pittsburgh), DT-Tim Settle (5th Washington), OG-Wyatt Teller (5th Buffalo), CB-Greg Stroman (7th Washington)

• Free Agents (2): LB-Andrew Motuapaka (Jacksonville), CB-Brandon Facyson (Los Angeles Chargers)

• Recap: With eight senior starters, the majority of which were drafted or signed as free agents, it's no surprise that Justin Fuente's second Virginia Tech squad was able to build upon its 10-win season in '16.

The Edmunds brothers became the first siblings in NFL history to be drafted in the first round in the same year. Settle is a 335-pounder who played just two years of college football after preserving a year of eligibility in '15. Stroman was known as much for his punt return ability (8.7-yard average, four TDs) as his defensive back play (9 interceptions). Recruited as a defensive lineman by Frank Beamer, Teller did not allow a sack in '17. Motuapaka was a four-year playmaker with 333 tackles, 32½ tackles for loss, 11½ sacks and five interceptions. Facyson recorded five interceptions as a freshman and none over his final three seasons.

4. PITTSBURGH (5-7)

• Draft Choices (3): OT-Brian O'Neill (2nd Minnesota), S-Jordan Whitehead (4th Tampa Bay), CB-Avonte Maddox (4th Philadelphia)

• Free Agents (7): OL-Jaryd Jones-Smith, WR-Jester Weah (Houston), OL-Brandon Hodges (Oakland), OG-Alex Officer (Oakland), WR-Quadree Henderson (Pittsburgh), TE-Matt Flanagan (Washington), P-Ryan Winslow (Chicago)

• Recap: Just six seniors started for the Panthers in Pat Narduzzi's third year as head coach, but three juniors entered their names in the NFL draft, which means a total of 10 players were either drafted or signed as free agents. It makes the five-win season in '17 seem like a missed opportunity.

O'Neill was the fourth offensive tackle taken in the draft behind Mike McGlinchey, UCLA's Kolton Miller and Georgia's Isaiah Wynn. Whitehead had 235 career stops and 8½ tackles for loss. Maddox had eight interceptions and 34 passes defensed in a Panther uniform. Weah averaged 17 yards per his 41 receptions in '17. At 5-foot-8, Henderson was a threat carrying it and catching it. Winslow averaged 44.5 yards per his 57 punts last year.

3. FLORIDA STATE (7-6)

• Draft Choices (6): S-Derwin James (1st Los Angeles Chargers), DT-Derrick Nnadi (3rd Kansas City), OT-Rick Leonard (4th New Orleans), DE-Josh Sweat (4th Philadelphia), TE-Ryan Izzo (7th New England), WR-Auden Tate (7th Cincinnati)

• Free Agents (6): K-Michael Badgley (Indianapolis), S-Trey Marshall (Denver), RB-Ryan Green (New York Jets), LB-Matthew Thomas (Pittsburgh), CB-Tavarus McFadden (San Francisco), LB-Jacob Pugh (Seattle)

• Recap: James was a playmaker for the Seminoles in the secondary, finishing second on the team in tackles with 84 while picking off two passes and leading the team in passes defensed with 11. Nnadi finished his career with 24 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Ten of those tackles for loss came in '17. Leonard, a former defensive lineman, played just two seasons/19 games on the offensive line. Sweat finished third on the team in tackles from a DE position. He had 29 tackles for loss and 14½ sacks in his career. Three of Izzo's 20 receptions last year went for TDs.



Badgley converted 76-of-94 field-goal attempts in four years at Florida State with a long of 57 yards. McFadden, a free agent CB signed by the 49ers, is guaranteed $90,000, whether he makes the team or not. McFadden failed to pick off a pass last year after nabbing eight in '16. Thomas led the team in tackles (85). The greatest reason for Florida State's fall last year? Quarterback play, not the talent surrounding it.

2. USC (11-3)

• Draft Choices (4): QB-Sam Darnold (1st New York Jets), RB-Ronald Jones II (2nd Tampa Bay), OLB-Uchenna Nwosu (Los Angeles Chargers), DE-Rasheem Green (3rd Seattle)

• Free Agents (6): DT-Josh Fatu (Detroit), WR-Steven Mitchell (Los Angeles Rams), S-Chris Hawkins (Seattle), OL-Viane Talamaivao (Seattle), WR-Deontay Burnett (Tennessee), C-Nico Falah (Tennessee)

• Recap: No one on the Irish schedule had more top-three-round selections than USC, although as is usually the case, no one need shed a tear for the Trojans with their steady flow of talent in and out of the program.

For all the talk about Darnold's accuracy issues, he still managed to complete 64.9 percent of his passes with 57 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in two years of play. Jones nearly rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons, finishing with 3,619 yards, a 6.1-yard average per his 591 carries and 32 TDs. Nwosu and Green spent the majority of their career in the opponents' backfields. Nwosu had 20½ tackles for loss and 12½ sacks; Green had 20 tackles for loss, 16½ of which were sacks.

All six of USC's free agents were mainstays for the Trojans. Burnett emerged from the shadows of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Darreus Rogers to catch 86 passes for 1,114 yards and nine TDs in '17. Hawkins played 48 games for the Trojans with 234 tackles and four picks.

1. VANDERBILT (5-7)

• Draft Choices (1): OLB-Oren Burks (3rd Green Bay)

• Free Agents (7): WR-Trent Sherfield (Arizona), LB-Emmanuel Smith (Atlanta), CB-Tre Herndon (Jacksonville), DE-Jonathan Wynn (Minnesota), RB-Ralph Webb (New England), DL-Nifae Lealao (New York Jets), WR-Caleb Scott (Seattle)

• Recap: A whopping 13 offensive/defensive starters were seniors last year for the Commodores, which means the time to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in three years probably was the 2017 season.

A DB the first half of his college years and a linebacker the final two, Burks showed a nose for the football against the run (228 tackles, 15½ tackles for loss) and against the pass (five interceptions).

Webb, the running back signed by New England as a free agent, is guaranteed $70,000. He rushed for nearly 4,200 yards and 32 TDs; he caught passes for nearly 600 yards and three TDs.

Sherfield put up decent receiving numbers (136 caches, 1,868 yards, nine TDs) in his career. Smith's move from safety to linebacker his senior season paid off after playing just 12 games his first three years.

Add it all up and this is a lot of personnel for a program like Vanderbilt's to replace.