The 2026 NFL draft doesn’t carry the same depth or top-tier star power that the 2025 group boasted. In 2025 we saw multiple running backs go in the top-40, with two going in the first round. In 2026 amidst a thinner field for the draft, one name consistently rises above the rest among NFL-eligible players: Jeremiyah Love.
The Notre Dame standout separated himself as a premier back during his 2024 collegiate season during helping lead the Fighting Irish on their National Championship run before ultimately falling to Ohio State. The 2025 seas0n got off to a questionable start versus the Miami Hurricanes where the Irish misused and under deployed Love. With only 10 carries and 14 total offensive touches it was difficult for Love to make his impression on the game. However, after an early bye week, Notre Dame got back to their roots, feeding him in the Week 3 clash with Texas A&M where Love had 23 carries and 27 total touches.
Love brings an exceptional blend of track-star explosiveness, vision, patience, and versatility that translates to a true three-down role at the next level. Others in this cycle have shown promise, but many project as role players or committee contributors in the NFL. Love breaks that mold and stands in a tier of his own. He is the most equipped to shoulder a workload, create explosive plays, and serve as a centerpiece for an NFL offense.
Jeremiyah Love: Football Background
Jeremiyah Love arrived at Notre Dame with the resume of a future star. A four-star recruit out of Christian Brothers College in St. Louis, he turned down offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, and a host of other national powers to play for the Irish.
In high school, Love wasn’t just a running back. He lined up at slot receiver, dominated as a versatile weapon, and captured Missouri’s Gatorade Player of the Year award. Off the football field, he was a multi-sport athlete also playing track and basketball. Love is equally decorated in his other sport endeavors, winning two state championships as a sprinter and clocking a 10.76 in the 100 meters. That track background shows up instantly on tape, and it’s one of the reasons he’s viewed as the most dangerous running back in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
Jeremiyah Love: Film Room
What’s Encouraging
After watching every snap Jeremiyah Love has taken from the beginning of the 2024 season through Notre Dame’s latest win versus Purdue, the tape has painted a clear picture of the caliber of prospect Love is and what separates him from the rest of the class. He projects as a versatile, dynamic playmaker with the ability to change games the moment the ball is in his hands.
At 6-feet tall, a listed weight of 214 pounds, and sporting a lean, but athletic build, Love fits the mold of the modern workhorse running back. During his time at Notre Dame, Love has split carries with notable running mate Jadarian Price. Due to the split workload, it has limited the wear and tear his body has sustained at the college level.
Love is quick to process the line of scrimmage, shows patience when pressing gaps, and uses hesitations and subtle body language to manipulate defenders before cutting decisively into open space.
The athleticism that Love brings to the position is one of the most intriguing aspects of his game. He has the ability to be a dual threat home run hitter. He can handle a starters workload, but also bring an explosive element to an offense. His unique blend of acceleration, long speed, and explosiveness make him a tough tackle in one on one situations. Love is an angle eraser, and maintains momentum through dynamic cuts.
Love isn’t just a straight line runner, either. He’s a springy, agile back with sharp cutting ability and an impressive start-stop twitch to his short area movement skills. His footwork is clean and controlled, allowing him to string together jump cuts and make sudden redirections without losing balance.
For a back as athletic, he still is not one to shy away from the “dirty yards”. He is a hard-nosed runner who will lower his shoulder into contact and fight for additional yards. Arm tackles rarely bring him down, and he’s shown the ability to grind out tough yards in the red zone despite not being a traditional power back.
Love is also a complete back, capable of playing on all three downs. As a receiver, Love has natural hands, tracks the ball well, and has proven to be reliable on screens, swings, and vertical routes.
When asked to stay in the pocket and tasked with blitz pick-up duties, he’s a willing and energetic blocker with high effort.
Once the ball is in his hands he is a threat to score regardless of his position on the field. In the open field, he can make defenders miss with creativity, power, or even hurdling would-be tacklers if they go too low.
Where Questions Remain
For all of Jeremiyah Love’s strengths, there are areas of his game that need refinement. His leaner frame, particularly in the lower half, raises some questions as to how effective of a power back he will be in his transition to the next level.
Additionally, while working in a committee, he has had to play through some minor, nagging ailments. It’s raised some questions as to how he would hold up to 250-300 touches at the NFL level. Thus far through the 2025 season he has shown more than capable of filling that role for an offense without concern.
As a pass-catcher, while his hands are an asset, his route tree is still under development. He has shown proficiency in running the rudimentary flat, wheel, and screen routes. However, given his athletic capabilities, he has the capacity to expand on this even further.
Finally, in pass protection, while his willingness to embrace pass protection duties speaks Collins about his competitiveness, he’s still developing his anchor and consistency to square up defenders for sustained blocking.
Jeremiyah Love: NFL Draft Projection
Jeremiyah Love projects as a Round 1 selection in the NFL draft, and a back capable of becoming the centerpiece of a modern offense. While there was a period of time the running back position appeared to be devalued, the league appears to be willing to invest once again. Love is the type of back worth investing in who can impact the game in a variety of ways. He profiles to be a plug-and-play impact starter for a team. He is worthy of consideration in the early to middle portion of the first round.
NFL Comparison
Trying to find a player comparison for Love can be a difficult task. Backs with the size and frame of Love rarely posses the speed, explosiveness, and change of direction skills of Love. While I’m still workshopping my final player comparison, there are too many stylistic similarities and athletic parallels to Jahmyr Gibbs for me to overlook right now. Love plays the game like a bigger version of Jahmyr Gibbs. On the surface I understand how this sounds. A bigger version of one of the games best, most impactful players at the position. But the tape backs the lofty comparison. Love has more work to do to earn this in his final evaluation, but right now, the trajectory fits.
Final Thoughts
Jeremiyah Love has all the tools to be the top running back in the 2026 NFL Draft and a future difference-maker in the NFL. His elite blend of speed, vision, and creativity gives him home-run ability on every touch, while his toughness and versatility make him more than just a finesse player. He may never be a pure bruiser, but in today’s NFL, his skill set aligns perfectly with the demand for explosive, three-down backs who can run, catch, and protect.
Love also brings versatility to a modern NFL offense. He can catch out of the backfield, flex into the slot, and be deployed creatively in motion or screen concepts. His hands are reliable, and with continued development in route running and blitz recognition, he projects as a legitimate three-down weapon capable of impacting the game in multiple phases.
In short, Love’s ceiling is elite. He has a combination of traits that are rare to find. In the right scheme, he could be a game-breaking, three-down feature back — a true centerpiece for an NFL offense.
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