Former Wisconsin Badger Will Pauling had an impressive showing at the Notre Dame Pro Day. He was considered the star of the day by many, and he went from being an undrafted flier to now having NFL Scouts considering if he's a late-round pick. He did that well and showed off his speed, agility, and burst. Outpacing other players at Notre Dame's Pro Day who are considered top picks.
The hardest part for Pauling is that he just hasn't had the production that helps get you on the NFL radar. He's clearly a freakish athlete after these scores, but he only had 26 catches for 381 yards this season. Pauling's one statistical claim for his Irish season is that he had six touchdowns.
Yet, the intangibles are there, and a flier late in the draft or even as a UDFA is worth it for an NFL team to simply see if there's something there at the NFL level.
Standout of Notre Dame Pro Day — WR Will Pauling.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 24, 2026
40: 4.37o
Vert: 42”
He’ll make a roster this fall.
pic.twitter.com/OQpOssuy6z
Will Pauling had an incredible Notre Dame Pro Day with eye-popping numbers
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Let's dig into his numbers a little bit. The two that stand out immediately are the 42" vertical and the 4.37 40-yard dash. If Pauling was invited to the NFL combine, he would be second in the vertical out of receivers behind Deion Burks from Oklahoma, who jumped 42.5". His 40-yard dash would place him tied for ninth among receivers at the combine.
That's not to mention he had a 10’8 broad jump, which would put him ninth among NFL combine participants had he been invited. He also had a 4.31 shuttle and a 7.01 3-cone drill. All of his scores would be in the top echelon of combine participants.
That's an insane day for Pauling, and if you Google "Notre Dame Pro Day," the main pictures and talking points will be of Pauling. He was that good and that impressive. Now the question is, will the intangibles be enough to get him an NFL spot, because his best production was his redshirt sophomore year at Wisconsin, when he had 74 receptions for 837 yards and six touchdowns. Since then, he hasn't been able to break through.
At the end of the day, he controlled the variables he could and boosted his NFL Draft stock significantly.