Top-5 buzz around Jeremiyah Love faces pushback before 2026 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft kicks off tonight, and Jeremiyah Love figures to hear his name called early. How early is the real question?

Some analysts think he could land as high as No. 3 overall, with the Arizona Cardinals potentially in play or another team willing to make an aggressive move. His 2025 campaign at Notre Dame fueled that kind of talk.

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Love earned First-Team Associated Press All-American honors, won the Doak Walker Award, and finished as a finalist for the Heisman, Walter Camp, and Maxwell awards.

He ranked fourth nationally with 6.9 yards per carry and 137.7 scrimmage yards per game. He racked up 1,372 rushing yards on 199 attempts and found the end zone 18 times on the ground. But not everyone thinks he belongs in the top five.

ESPN’s Jordan Rodgers made his stance clear during a draft discussion on ‘Get Up.’ The issue wasn’t Love’s talent. It was the money and how drafting a running back that high fits into building a competitive roster.

“Under no circumstance can you take Jeremiyah Love at No. 3. You’re gonna owe him $50 million in guaranteed money. That’s more than Saquon [Barkley], more than Christian McCaffrey, more than Derrick Henry, you can’t do that,” Rodgers said. “I love Jeremiah Love as a prospect, but also, he’s not a generational player.”