This RB is the best 2026 NFL Draft prospect

TL;DR

Jerimiyah Love had an outstanding 2025 season at Notre Dame, with 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. His performance positions him as the top running back prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Key points

Jerimiyah Love had 1,372 rushing yards in 2025
He scored 18 rushing touchdowns during the season
Love is seen as the top running back prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft

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Notre Dame

Jerimiyah Love2026 NFL Draft

Jeremiyah Love put up the kind of season that usually ends debates. The NFL will still try to debate it anyway, because he’s a running back. Love’s 2025 production at Notre Dame was elite and clean – 199 carries, 1,372 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 6.9 yards per carry, plus 280 receiving yards. That’s not just a good back. That’s a player creating explosive offense on demand – efficiency, volume, scoring, and enough receiving value to keep him on the field in every situation.

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Other Top Draft Prospects Compared

David Bailey: Is a premium edge type and will go high because pass rush is the league’s favorite addiction. He’s earned it. But he’s still a projection in a class that multiple scouting outlets describe as light on true top-end edge talent, even if it has depth. Love isn’t a projection – he has already produced like the engine of an offense.
Arvell Reese: Being treated as a potential top pick, and teams will talk themselves into it because elite defenders make life easier. But linebacker value is what it is – you have to be special to justify the slot, and you have to impact games every week, not just look good on tape. Love impacts games every week by force.

That’s why ranking Love ahead of the top defenders isn’t a hot take. It’s a talent take. You’re not ranking contracts. You’re ranking how quickly a player can change your team and dictate a game. And Love does that immediately.