Ranking Notre Dame's five most dangerous defensive opposing players

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Last week, we ranked the most dangerous offensive opposing players Notre Dame will face this season, a list headlined by Stanford's Christian McCaffrey. The Cardinal running back was an easy choice -- but picking the best defensive player Notre Dame will face in 2016 was a little more difficult. 

I wound up picking Michigan State defensive tackle Malik McDowell, an interior force who probably will be a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, 275 pound Detroit native racked up 13 tackles for a loss and four and a half sacks last year, and Pro Football Focus compared him favorably to former Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. He's the guy Notre Dame's offensive triumvirate of Brian Kelly, Mike Sanford and Mike Denbrock will have to scheme against Sept. 17, because if he's able to terrorize the interior of the Irish offensive line, it could take away the run and make things a long day for DeShone Kizer & Co. 

J.B. Long and I had more disagreement on our rankings than we did on offense, with our full explanations in the latest Still Independent Podcast below. My top five:

1. Malik McDowell (Junior DT, Michigan State)
2. Malik Jefferson (Sophomore LB, Texas)
3. Corn Elder (Senior CB, Miami)
4. Iman Marshall (Sophomore CB, USC)
5. B.J. Hill (Junior DT, N.C. State)

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