Denver Broncos select Audric Estime in fifth round of 2024 NFL Draft

The professional football dreams for former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star running back Audric Estime have come true during the 2024 NFL Draft.

Estime was selected with the 147 in the fifth of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos taking a shot on the former Fighting Irish star. He’ll now look to prove them right, and every team that passed on the running back wrong.

While Estime’s first season with the Fighting Irish saw him fight for carries, he was the star of the backfield over the last two seasons, scoring a total of 29 rushing touchdowns, and toting the rock for over 900-plus yards in both seasons.

Now, he’ll be looking to bring that bruising style mixed with some surprising finesse to the next level, as an NFL running back in 2024.

Audric Estime played high school football at St Joseph Regional (NJ), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 228 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Audric Estime

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein analyzed the top prospects available to be selected, including Audric Estime.

Zierlein believes a suitable pro comparison for Estime is New Orleans Saints running back Jamaal Williams. Additionally, he believes his strengths include, “Can make sudden, reactive cuts to elude a closing tackler. Agile feet to hop over or side-step foot traffic and keep the run alive.”

Continuing, Zierlein provided his full analysis on the former Notre Dame running back, believing he’ll become a capable NFL runner.

“Thickly muscled runner capable of wearing out defenses through a heavier workload,” Zierlein wrote. “There were times Estimé played too slowly when forced to process moving pieces up front, but he showed a greater willingness to cut it loose as the season progressed. He’s naturally powerful with adequate foot agility. Estimé doesn’t have the bend to be a one-cut runner but can make reactive cuts to sudden tacklers near the line of scrimmage. If he can hit the gas with a heavier foot, he’ll continue to break tackles and maximize yardage after contact.

“He’s a better weapon out of the backfield than he might get credit for being, and he could check into the league as part of a two-headed running attack with the ability to shine near the goal line.”

As you can see, Lance Zierlein believes Audric Estime has some serious NFL potential. We’ll see if the former Fighting Irish star makes good on it in 2024.