There’s still four weeks left in the NFL’s regular season, but it’s never too early to kick start the NFL Draft conversation. At least not for Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen that is.

Three seasons into his career with the Fighting Irish, Clausen has decided that the time has come for him to make the leap up to the next level, and he’s doing so mostly on the advice of his former head coach, Charlie Weis. Having groomed both Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe into top tier NFL quarterbacks with the Patriots, Weis knows a thing or two about the game, and apparently told Clausen he was ready to play on Sundays next season.

Clausen dominated the collegiate game this season, throwing for 3,722 yards, 28 touchdowns, and only four interceptions in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Notre Dame. And coming from a pro style offense in South Bend under Weis certainly won’t hurt his draft stock next April, with St. Louis, Cleveland, and Washington showing definite signs of interest in selecting Clausen at or near the top of round one.

In our latest mock, Clausen is slated to be taken #1 overall by Cleveland.