one or two players a trend doth not make.
this is like saying height doesn't matter at the QB position because brees has done well. despite such exceptions, you're still statistically better off with a taller QB. so in order to maximize your odds of not striking out, a GM should avoid ND players in the first (and possibly even 2nd) rounds because ND has 10x the national press coverage of other schools (i.e. NBC contract) and thus its star players get an artificial boost in value due to media hype/exposure/and familiarity. not saying a ND player can't succeed at the next level, you're just more likely to overpay for him in the draft.