April 29--Ronnie Stanley's declaration 15 months ago that he would not declare for the 2015 NFL draft was the harbinger of another revelation: He would not be staying in South Bend, Ind., beyond the 2015 season.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle from Las Vegas, a projected first-round selection last year, said it behooved him to play one more season for Notre Dame but made it clear throughout the year that it would be his last.
Turns out, gambling on himself was the right play. Stanley was picked sixth overall by the Ravens on Thursday during the first day of the 2016 NFL draft in Chicago.
"It's always been my dream to play at the top level," Stanley said before last season.
The consensus All-American is the Irish's first top-10 pick since former Bloom Township standout Bryant Young went seventh to the 49ers in 1994.
Linebacker Jaylon Smith likely would have joined Stanley in that company had it not been for a severe knee injury he suffered New Year's Day during the Fiesta Bowl.
Notre Dame hasn't had more than five players picked in the first three rounds since 1994. This year, that number could swell to at least seven.
Receiver Will Fuller, projected by some to be a first-round pick, and defensive lineman Sheldon Day are among the 14 former Irish players eligible to be drafted by the end of Friday. Cornerback KeiVarae Russell, running back C.J. Prosise and center Nick Martin are the others.
But Stanley, who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with Smith before last season, is the big name with the big game. The quarterback protector allowed one sack during his junior season and was named the Irish's offensive player of the year last season, when he allowed two sacks and helped pave the way for 19 rushing touchdowns on his side of the field while recording an 86.5-percent blocking efficiency score.
"I'm confident in myself and what I can do in the future, past football," Stanley said last season.
Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, who held the same position with the Bears from 2005-09, said it was important for Stanley to put the NFL off for a year -- for Stanley and for the Irish.
"I don't know that he totally understood how hard it is at the next level," Hiestand said before last season. "What happens is, those guys that want to represent him, they paint this picture that's just not realistic."
pskrbina@tribpub.com
