Jeremiyah Love stands out among NFL draft prospects as a running back with game-breaking talent and rare athletic traits that make him a top ten pick in 2026, according to multiple experts. In his junior season at Notre Dame, Love put together some of the most electrifying performances of any college back, totaling 1,125 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on just 163 carries, which comes out to nearly seven yards per attempt.
He was also a reliable target out of the backfield, catching 28 passes for 237 yards and adding two more scores, confirming his all-purpose value. His career numbers now include 2,645 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns, cementing him as one of the most productive players in Notre Dame history.
Love can re-accelerate in the open field with defenders in pursuit and reach a second gear that sets him apart from ordinary backs. Few players in college football combine Love’s springy athleticism, which allows him to hurdle defenders and instantly regain his balance, with his top-end speed and contact balance. Scouts describe him as a player who threatens to score from anywhere on the field.
This year, Love is projected as a day one NFL starter, and front offices are watching his creativity both as a runner and receiver. He decelerates, re-accelerates, and executes sharp jump cuts, making defenders whiff in space, and is willing and able as a blocker when asked to pick up the blitz. With Love’s skill set, vision, and elite athleticism, he is expected to electrify at the next level and very likely transform an NFL offense from day one.
Jeremiyah Love’s blend of skills makes him such a hot draft commodity that NFL general managers might start dreaming of him like kids on Christmas Eve. Onlookers have joked that defenses will have PTSD from his combination of lightning speed and bowling ball power, and scouts can’t help but laugh when debating whether he’s more Ahman Green’s workhorse with Joe Mixon’s do-it-all smoothness, or the ankle-wrecking shiftiness of Bijan Robinson, all somehow fused together.
Picture it now, Love flying off tackle, gliding past linebackers, hurdling a poor safety, and then finishing the play with a spin that leaves defenders looking like they missed their ride on a merry-go-round. If ever there was a running back to make fantasy owners’ opponents sigh and real coaches do a happy dance, it is Love, who is one part Green, a dash of Mixon, and just enough Bijan to keep everyone up at night.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Jeremiyah Love NFL Draft 2026 prospect: A day one starter
