Jeremiyah Love is widely understood to be one the most talented prospects in the 2026 class. Gauging where running backs will land in a draft is always difficult, but in this case a drop out of the top 10 order appears unlikely.
[RELATED: Love Could Be Giants’ Top Target]
The Commanders have frequently been mentioned as a logical landing spot for Love. The Heisman finalist would add an impact to any offense, but joining Washington would allow him to immediately contribute on the ground and in the passing game. Multiple personnel who spoke with SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora believe the Commanders – who own the seventh overall pick – are the floor in Love’s case.
“He’s exactly what that offense needs,” one evaluator said. “The draft is about supply and demand and who really needs a running back. The GM [Adam Peters] comes from San Francisco. They made the trade for [Christian] McCaffrey.”
Peters is indeed familiar with high-end running back acquisitions and the implications of building an offense around an elite player at the position dating back to his 49ers tenure. Washington’s backfield has undergone a number of changes so far this offseason, with Chris Rodriguez departing and the likes of Rachaad White and Jerome Ford being added. Drafting Love would leave the Commanders with other notable roster holes, but it would give the team a long-term offensive pillar if all went according to plan.
During each of his sophomore and junior campaigns at Notre Dame, Love averaged 6.9 yards per attempt. He topped 1,300 scrimmage yards in each season, totaling 40 touchdowns between 2024 and ’25. Love earned first-team All-American honors for his final college campaign and he will be counted on contribute early and often at the NFL level.
Peters’ team went from a surprise trip to the NFC title game to a 5-12 season in 2025. Rebounding will depend on factors such as the health of quarterback Jayden Daniels and the strength of his supporting cast. A receiver move will remain something to watch for, but interest in Love – though a top 30 visit or otherwise – could also develop in the near future.
Love would be really fun with Daniels, but man that team still needs a receiver and a lot of defensive talent.
I’m curious where love goes as well n
It’s just insane to me that teams are thinking of drafting him top ten after Jeanty last year.
Remember that Notre Dame plays in a lot of ways a cupcake schedule. Much more difficult than Boise State’s but still. Most of their games are against ACC opponents, and that conference is notorious for undisciplined defensive players with poor tackling and coverage skills.
I’m not saying he won’t be an All Pro in the right situation but I am saying that it’s not a guarantee. He’s not Bijan Robinson or Saquon or Jonathan Taylor.
Nothing wrong with Jeanty. The Raiders just had one of the worst offensive lines in the league, maybe the worst. Coached by a clueless nepo baby in Pete Carroll’s son. There’s some great youtube videos breaking down how awful the Raiders were at blocking. One guy I’d recommend is Film.Watchers. Not sure if this link will work, but here’s a nice group of his Raiders videos:
link to m.youtube.com
I’d recommend that guy in general. He’s good enough at breaking down film that he’s recently had a few NFL players on. He breaks stuff down in an easy to understand way.
Nothing wrong with Jeanty the player, but lots wrong with Jeanty the draft pick. Important difference.
@Oooof: You are correct as usual. Raiders had about 50 holes and drafted an RB. Typical of a poorly run organization.
I’m not saying Jeanty isn’t a good player. He’ll make at least one Pro Bowl.
But he’s very much in the Judkins mold. He’s a high 3-low 4 ypc guy. I said this time last year Jeanty wasn’t a top ten pick caliber running back, and I was laughed out of every comments section.
Love is better than Jeanty but he’s also not that guy. He reminds me of a slower Kenneth Walker. He’s a strong runner sure but he gets tripped up A LOT and very easily. I can see that Notre Dame’s line wasn’t very good in some of those games from watching the film but Love doesn’t do himself any favors. He also doesn’t really seem to have that elite speed or athleticism that the best backs do. He is comically slow looking when turning around and changing direction to get YAC.
Again, he will be a very good back in the right system but this is way too high to pick him.
I think you’re underestimating Love’s athleticism, and he’s certainly MUCH more of a receiving threat than Walker. But taking a running back top ten is almost always a bad idea, especially when you’re missing a bunch of draft picks and have an old roster full of holes to rework.
I guess we’ll see who’s right this time next year.
Personally, I’d rather take a chance on one of the many less sure thing RBs with upside than draft Love that high.
I’ve been very clear that I would not take Love or any other running back that high.
Well, no, you won’t see next year. You’re going to need a lot more time than one year to make an indictment on a RB drafted top 10. Love is light years more talented than Jeanty, but he’ll still likely end up in a bad offensive situation that him hinders him at first. Jeanty was arguably drafted by the worst team he could have been last year and improvement in year 2 should be expected.
I really wouldn’t count on it.
Their OL is greatly improved and I’d fully expect they still add to it; they have a coach whose scheme he fits and who uses the run game intelligently instead of how Carroll has used it for the past 5 years; and they will have improved QB play most likely, which should open up the run game. So why wouldn’t you expect him to improve?
Not worth drafted a RB with a top pick. Only a few times has a team won a Superbowl 4 years after drafting a RB round 1 in recent memory. Most of the guys weren’t even big time contributors either.
Reggie Bush in his 4th year, Clyde Edwards Helaire in his rookie year, and Sony Michel in his rookie year. Bush was a non-factor most of that year except having a random 5 for 84 game in a blowout win against AZ, CEH benefitted from the team around him being great.
Michel is a weird case because he had under 1000 yards that season but then exploded in the playoffs for 6 TDs in 3 games and over 300 yards rushing. He was drafted at 31 to a team that made it to the superbowl the year before.
Spending a top pick on a RB is not a smart move at all based on recent results for teams in the immediate years following unless the team is already in a great position.
Not saying Love isn’t a great player, or that RBs aren’t valuable to have on your team. Just spending a top pick when over the last 20 years only 3 teams who have spent a first round pick on a RB have won a chip would be enough for me not to take one.
You win the turnover battle and you win games nearly 80% of the time. Not only is this kid productive but he had nearly 500 touches without a fumble. I don’t see how Washington with weak ball security and a 28th rank in time of possession could pass on him if he’s still on the board when they draft.
Like I said, it isn’t that this kid isn’t great. I’m sure he is going to be a beast.
Let’s see some other recent examples. Atlanta and Vegas both drafted a RB round 1 recently and they surely won’t be winning a chip soon.
But, whoever signs one of those guys after their rookie deal might…like with Barkley.
RBs shouldn’t be drafted by teams early on for the most part anymore. Early round 2 is the sweet spot lately or signing a guy coming off a rookie deal that is cap friendly in structure like Barkley.
Paying RBs big money or spending big draft capital is not ideal for RBs anymore.
Gurley is easily the biggest example that proves you wrong.
If the Rams hadn’t run him into the ground and had kept him healthy, they easily win at least one Superbowl with Goff.
It proves my point. They didn’t win. They didnt even run hom that hard. He never even hit 300 carries or led the league in carries. I mean maybe more usage on receiving than most RBs sure.
But he was healthy his first 4 years mostly and they didnt witn a chip.
Macbeth- One thing those teams had in common was ineptitude at transactions in general (Atlanta drafting Penix after signing Cousins, trading a future 1st to trade up for Pearce, etc. Vegas never addressing OL and on and on). I would say Detroit has done well with personnel decisions lately. Gibbs has shined and they got close to a Super Bowl appearance. It’s really all about drafting and developing around that RB, IMO.
I would take Love by a country mile over any of these other RBs, but it’s going top 10 to a team with major holes that’s going to hurt him.
Michel had almost 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie. It’s not like he wasn’t a major contributor in the regular season.
There’s nothing wrong with picking a RB in the first round if they’re genuinely good enough. Penny, Michel, and especially Saquon all were. Penny and Michel had injury issues that seriously hurt their stock but Penny was right up there with Dobbins when it comes to RBs who are Pro Bowl caliber when actually healthy, and Michel was by far the biggest reason New England won that Superbowl and then did it again for the Rams in 2021-22.
Maybe I should rephrase. Unless youre team is already in a good position it isn’t worth it. You’re just drafting a guy for another team to win with a la barkley.
These guys produce and all that but bad teams drafting RBs in round 1 is a trap.
If the criteria for drafting a player in the first round is that he must help the team get a ring within 4 years, then a lot of guys in the Hall of Fame would never have been drafted.
Most positions outside of RB stay longer than 4 years though as well.
Exactly, Michel had 931 yards his rookie year. Not quite 1k but very close.
I really think the titans are gonna grab him at 4, they have already made several moves on defense plus cam ward still needs plenty of help at wr and rb
If he gets past Tennessee, I think the Giants will take him.
I hope not.
I think that it’s a given that the Titans are taking a pass rusher. To me, the only thing left to be settled is who it’ll be. It likely could be Bain, Mesidor, or maybe Reese. Despite Bain’s arm chatter, he’s several years younger than Mesidor, so unless Mesidor just blows Saleh or Borgonzi out of the water, it seems like they’ll take him if he’s still there. The Titans brought all three in recently, but even if they don’t (or can’t) pick one, it seems highly likely that they take an edge rusher with that pick (though, honestly, they’re a team that I would love to see trade down).
Could the Giants pick up a 3rd round pick if they swap first rounders with Washington?
The question for John Harbaugh is whether he’s sure Sonny Styles will still be there at 7?
I just think he will be gone by pick 7. He has too much talent to be passed up.
Tons of talent, but tons of use. The question that you have to ask yourself as a team is whether, if you pick this player, you will lean on him to carry your offense (ala Vegas with Jeanty). If you’re going to do that while you build up your offensive line or other positions, you’re just going to wear out your already heavily used back immediately.
Now, Washington could take Love, and then commit to more of a committee approach to protect him, but then they’re sort of pushing the return on this first round pick to next year. There’s nothing really wrong with that long term, but you do have to ask, as a team with tons of holes, whether it would be better to try and address those holes first to get a good foundation.
Teams that draft running backs high are typically bad teams looking for playmakers, because good teams don’t think that they really need them. Ironically, it should be in reverse, but your running backs/playmaker need is more obvious when your team can’t generate offense, I suppose, and teams try and address that before addressing the foundational reasons why their offense isn’t working. Could you imagine a contender with good offense from last year, like Denver or Seattle or the Rams (or even Jacksonville), drafting Love (or some equivalent high level back)? Those are the teams that would really make the most out of a playmaking running back. They don’t, because they usually get by with platoons or lower cost players, but those are the teams that really would see the most difference.
Denver or Seattle sure but the Rams have two of the best young playmaking backs in the league.