American Football
Cardinals select dynamic RB Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
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The Arizona Cardinals have used the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, adding arguably the most explosive offensive prospect in the class.
There was serious hype surrounding Love, with NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranking him as the No. 2 overall prospect in the class thanks to his game-breaking ability.
"I'm looking forward to getting to work in Arizona," Love said on the draft stage. "We're going to do some special things together."
Here's what Love brings to the Cardinals, and what his role might look like in Nathaniel Hackett's offense.
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Love's elite skillset
Widely viewed as one of the most dynamic playmakers in the draft, Love arrives in Arizona with a reputation for turning routine touches into game-changing moments, and the Cardinals believed his upside was too strong to ignore near the top of the board.
Often praised for his rare combination of burst, balance and open-field vision, Love also excels as a receiver - a skill increasingly important for running backs in the modern game.
Over two seasons at Notre Dame, he rushed for 2,497 yards and 35 touchdowns, while adding 517 receiving yards and five scores as a pass-catcher.
According to PFF, among 69 FBS running backs with at least 150 carries, Love posted the highest overall offensive grade (93.1), tied for first in yards per carry (6.9), and ranked third in yards after contact per attempt (4.5).
He also ranked fourth among FBS running backs in explosive runs of 10+ yards, doing so on fewer carries than many of the backs above him on the list.
Love can count 49ers' star running back Christian McCaffrey among his many admirers. He noted, “When you watch his tape, you find out that he kinda has that extra juice, that stuff that you can't really coach”.
Love's fit in the Cardinals' offensive scheme
The Cardinals moved on from Kyler Murray in free agency, and needed an offensive spark in the backfield to ease the pressure on the passing game led by veteran QB Jacoby Brissett.
Arizona signed former Falcons' running back Tyler Allgeier in free agency, adding him to a backfield including James Conner and Trey Benson, but Love has the potential, and draft capital, to eclipse them all.
His receiving upside should gel nicely with the scheme of new offensive coordinator Hackett, who heavily featured running backs in the passing game during his stint with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2021.
What impact will Love have for Arizona?
In 2025, the Cardinals languished at the bottom of the NFC West - the NFL's most difficult division of all - after finishing 3-14.
With Love's home-run talent in the backfield, improving on that record is not only possible, but expected.
They will be hard pushed to contend with the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers in 2026, but with Love leading the ground game for at least the next four years, the future is bright.
