The entire left side of Notre Dame’s 2020 offensive line has already been drafted, with former Irish left guard Aaron Banks picked No. 48 overall by the San Francisco 49ers, following former Irish left tackle Liam Eichenberg’s second-round selection.
Both consensus All-Americans, they should be only half the Notre Dame offensive linemen picked in this draft, with Tommy Kraemer and Robert Hainsey still waiting to hear their names called.
Banks could have returned to try his hand at left tackle for the Irish, something he admitted interest in at the end of March, but in talking to former teammates already in the NFL, he concluded it was time to enter the draft.
“The consensus came back that I should leave,” Banks said. “Three of the guys I played with for the last three years were leaving, so I felt like it was my time to depart with them.”
That said, Banks also sees room for improvement before he plays for the 49ers.
“Just becoming a more polished player,” he said. “Just be a little more consistent on my technique. That’s what I see for myself. I’ve taken some time in the offseason to trim up and kind of tighten my body up.”
A four-star recruit that joined Notre Dame’s class of 2017 only in that December — a December filled with Irish coaching staff turnover after the 2016 debacle — Banks started 31 games in his career, becoming a mainstay on an offensive line that drove Notre Dame to two Playoff appearances in the last three seasons.