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EspañolNotre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love may not be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he could end up being the best overall player in the class.
Love enjoyed a standout career at Notre Dame, during which he showed off an elite mix of power, vision and explosiveness as a runner. Across his final two seasons, the 6-0, 214-pound back averaged 1,507 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns per campaign and did well enough to finish third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2025.
Love should be a plug-and-play star at the NFL level and has a good chance to be a top-10 pick come April.
Which teams might target Love in the 2026 NFL Draft? Here's where the latest mock drafts have the 20-year-old being selected and which teams may represent his best fit for the next level.
Jeremiah Love mock draft
Love checks in as the third-best player and second-best receiver on USA TODAY Sports' Ayrton Ostly's big board. Here's where the star running back has been projected to land in recent mock drafts:
- USA TODAY Sports, Ayrton Ostly: New Orleans Saints (Round 1, Pick 8)
- USA TODAY Sports, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: New Orleans Saints (Round 1, Pick 8)
- ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr.: Kansas City Chiefs (Round 1, Pick 9)
- NFL Network, Bucky Brooks:New Orleans Saints (Round 1, Pick 8)
- CBS Sports, Garrett Podell: Kansas City Chiefs (Round 1, Pick 9)
- Pro Football Focus, Dalton Wasserman: Kansas City Chiefs (Round 1, Pick 9)
Jeremiyah Love best fits
Kansas City Chiefs
Love would fill a massive need for the Chiefs. Kansas City's top two running backs from 2025 – Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt – are set to be free agents and neither was particularly efficient last season. Love would be a true, three-down workhorse and the team could lean on him as Patrick Mahomes eases back into action after a torn ACL.
The only question is whether the Chiefs would be willing to spend a top-10 selection on a running back. Kansas City has only once spent a first- or second-round pick on a running back – Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020 – since Andy Reid became the team's coach in 2013.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints seem content to roll with Tyler Shough as their quarterback moving forward. For the 2025 second-round pick to find success, New Orleans will need to improve its stable of weapons outside of top receiver Chris Olave.
Love would be an upgrade over Alvin Kamara, who turns 31 in June and is coming off a season during which he averaged a career-low in both yards per carry (3.6) and yards per reception (5.6).
Arizona Cardinals
Michael Carter was the Cardinals' leading rusher last season with just 333 yards. James Conner's return from a season-ending foot injury could provide Arizona a boost, but he is turning 31 in May and averaged just 3 yards per carry across limited action last season.
Love would give the Cardinals a reliable, offensive playmaker to help the team forge an identity as it seemingly heads for a split with starting quarterback Kyler Murray.
New York Giants
John Harbaugh's arrival in New York could coincide with the team adopting a run-heavy offense. The Baltimore Ravens were routinely one of the most ground-dominant teams under Harbaugh, so adding a do-it-all running back like Love could be in the cards for the Giants.
Pairing Love with Cam Skattebo – who was enjoying a strong rookie season for the Giants before a gruesome ankle injury prematurely ended it – would create a physical one-two punch at running back for the G-Men.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeremiyah Love best fits, mock draft projection ahead of NFL combine