Draft-Week Buzz
- 2026-04-19 [DCI consensus roundup] — Consensus #2 across 8 of 9 boards (avg slot 2.1); ESPN outlier keeps him #1. Historical positional-value note: no RB has gone #1 overall since 2018
- 2026-04-17 [DCI tier analysis] — RB class top-end: Love alone in RB1 tier; gap to RB2 (Jadarian Price, ND) measured at 3 rounds on weighted composite
- 2026-04-14 [ESPN Jordan Reid] — Held at #1 overall on the ESPN top-500; no slippage despite RB positional value concerns
- 2026-04-10 [Titans beat] — Tennessee coaching staff attended his Notre Dame workout; strong fit at #4 overall
- 2026-04-05 [Medical] — Cleared by all 32 medical re-check panels — no lingering concerns from 2024 ankle sprain
Buzz items pulled from beat-writer reports, ESPN/NFL.com transactions, Pro Day recaps, and verified Top 30 visit reports in the 30 days leading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Each linked headline goes to the original source. See our full draft-week news tab for cross-prospect timeline.
Born May 31, 2005 in St. Louis, Missouri. Raised in the Walnut Park
neighborhood of St. Louis. Father Jason is an Army veteran and youth football coach; mother
L'Tonya is a sergeant with the St. Louis Police Department. Known for a hurdling-heavy
running style he credits to anime influences.
HIGH SCHOOL: Christian Brothers College HS (St. Louis, MO). As a junior: 996 rushing yards,
14 TDs, led CBC to the MSHSAA Class 6 state championship — named first-team All-State. As a
senior: 1,291 rushing yards + 22 TDs on 140 carries, plus 13 rec/370 yards/5 TDs. In the Class
6A state championship win over Lee's Summit North he put up 317 total yards (211 rush, 106
rec) and 5 TDs. Named Metro Catholic Conference Offensive POY, Missouri Class 6 Offensive POY,
MaxPreps Missouri HS Football POY, Missouri Gatorade POY, and was an Under Armour All-American.
Also won the Missouri state 100m championship as a sophomore sprinter (10.76s).
RECRUITING: 4-star, Rivals #59 overall, #4 RB in the 2023 class. Chose Notre Dame over Texas
A&M, Michigan, Alabama, and Oregon.
COLLEGE: Three years at Notre Dame. Broke out as a sophomore in 2024 with a Fiesta Bowl TD
highlight. 2025: 1,372 rushing yards, 18 rushing TDs, 39 runs of 10+ yards, plus 27 rec/280
yards/3 receiving TDs. Won the Doak Walker Award, named unanimous All-American and a Heisman
finalist. Declared for the 2026 NFL Draft after the season.
DRAFT PROJECTION: Round 1 top-5. ESPN's Jordan Reid has him #1 overall. Realistic fit is the
Titans at #4 as their bell cow. Would surprise if he fell past #8. Pro comp: James Cook III
with more vertical juice. Key question: can 5-11/205 handle 300+ touches as a pro without
missing time?
Scouting Profile
Combine / Pro Day Measurables (reported)
| 40-yard dash | 4.42 |
| Vertical jump (in) | 39.5 |
| Broad jump | 10'7" |
| Bench press (225 reps) | 18 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 6.84 |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.18 |
| Wingspan | 78.5" |
| Hand size | 9 1/4" |
Numbers compiled from NFL Scouting Combine results, Pro Day box scores, and beat-writer reports. "Reported" means cross-referenced against multiple sources; verify on nfl.com/combine for definitive marks.
College Career Stats
- 2023 ND (Fr): 142 carries, 750 yds, 5.3 avg, 6 TD; 17 rec, 124 yds
- 2024 ND (So): 156 carries, 1,125 yds, 7.2 avg, 17 TD; 24 rec, 192 yds — Fiesta Bowl breakout
- 2025 ND (Jr): 207 carries, 1,372 yds, 6.6 avg, 18 TD; 27 rec, 280 yds, 3 TD — Doak Walker Award + unanimous All-American
Strengths
- Explosive home-run burst — 39 runs of 10+ yards in 2025
- Elite vision finds cutback lanes against stacked boxes
- Contact balance that defies his 5-11/206 frame
- Three-down receiving back — soft hands, route-runner upside
- Hurdling style + sprinter speed (10.76s 100m as a HS sophomore)
Weaknesses / Areas to Develop
- Frame is borderline for 280+ NFL touches per year
- 2024 ankle injury history a concern for medical re-checks
- Power back duty (between-the-tackles short-yardage) is a question
NFL Pro Comparison
Jahmyr Gibbs — undersized, explosive, three-down back with elite athletic ceiling and pass-game value
Mock-Draft Consensus
| ESPN (Jordan Reid) | PFF Big Board | Jeremiah Top 50 | Consensus Avg | Realistic Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | #3 | #2 | #2.0 | Picks 1-8 |
30-day trend: Rising since Doak Walker
Ranks cross-referenced from ESPN's Jordan Reid top-500, PFF's 2026 Big Board top-200, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50 (NFL.com). Realistic draft-night range reflects projected team fit and trade scenarios, not just big-board placement.
Advanced Stats & Production
| 2025 PFF grade | 93.1 |
| Yards per carry | 6.6 |
| Yards after contact/att | 4.1 |
| Explosive run rate (10+) | 18.8% |
| Receiving PFF | 84.2 |
Metrics blended from PFF grade sheets, school box scores, and Combine/Pro Day box scores. Position-specific: QB shows efficiency + turnover rates, WR/TE show route-running + contested-catch, OL shows pass-block grade + pressures allowed, EDGE/IDL show pass-rush win rate + pressure rate, LB/DB show coverage grade + missed-tackle rate.
Outcome Range
- Floor: 1A back in committee — 200 touches per year
- Median: Pro Bowl bell cow — 1,200 rush + 400 receiving
- Ceiling: All-Pro / OPOY-tier touchdown machine like 2024 Saquon
Scheme Fit
Outside-zone heavy attack with gap concepts mixed in; ideal for a Shanahan / McVay scheme that uses the RB in the pass game heavily
Pre-Draft Visits
Top-30 visits reported with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions
Signature College Game
2025 CFP semifinal vs Penn State: 28 carries, 220 rush yards, 3 TDs including a game-clinching 75-yard run
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
NFL Scheme Fit
NFL Scheme Fit
- Wide-zone outside-rush attack
San Francisco 49ers · Detroit Lions · Miami Dolphins · Atlanta Falcons
Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$34.0M – $52.0M (4-year deal) · Pick range: #1-5 · ~100% guaranteed
Mid-pick band — guarantee % varies pick-to-pick
Best-Case / Worst-Case Landing Spot
Why: RB listed in their top-5 positional needs.
Year-1 arc: Day-1 starter window with cap-controlled rookie-contract production.
Why: RB not in their stated top-5 needs; runs a scheme that doesn't naturally amplify his profile.
Year-1 arc: Depth-chart competition + special-teams reps as Year-1 baseline.
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
Versatility, Limits & Roster Pathway
Biggest Limiting Trait LOW
93rd-percentile height for the position — Frame is among the tallest at the position — long-strider transitions on sharp routes / change-of-direction reps are the typical scout flag for this profile.
Derived from height/weight against the 2026 position cohort and the prospect's projected round. Versatility callouts identify alternate alignments NFL teams have historically used for similar size profiles. Limiting-trait notes flag the single most-cited measurable concern; severity reflects how often that flag ends a Day 1 starter projection. Roster-pathway notes describe the realistic Year 1 NFL role for Day 3 picks.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 RB prospects, his 6-0 / 206 lbs frame sits at the 93rd percentile in height and 39th percentile in weight.
- Position class: Jeremiyah Love is RB #1 of 28 ranked RBs in the 2026 class. Of those, 1 are projected in the R1 range.
- School pipeline: Notre Dame has 2 RBs in the 2026 NFL Draft class (6 total prospects from the school).
- Recruiting arc: Was a 4-star recruit but is now projected R1 — outperformed his recruiting profile.
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
Jeremiyah Love’s NFL Archetype: James Cook
James Cook (Buffalo Bills)
Closest RB physical profile in the modern NFL: 6-0/206 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.
Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.
Similar Running Back Prospects
Closest matches to Jeremiyah Love (6-0 / 206 lbs, #1 RB) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Jadon CoatsSIZE MATCH Purdue · 6-0/210 lbs · #5 RB · R3-R4
- Jadarian PriceTIER MATCH Notre Dame · 5-10/210 lbs · #2 RB · R2
- Mike Washington Jr.TIER MATCH Arkansas · 5-11/220 lbs · #3 RB · R2-R3
- Emmett JohnsonSIZE MATCH Nebraska · 5-11/200 lbs · #6 RB · R3-R4
- Nicholas Singleton Penn State · 6-0/225 lbs · #7 RB · R4
Notre Dame & The 2026 Class
More from Notre Dame
- Devonta Smith · CB #24 · R7
- Billy Schrauth · IOL #9 · R4
- Jadarian Price · RB #2 · R2
- Eli Raridon · TE #8 · R4
- Malachi Fields · WR #9 · R2-R3
Other R1 top 5 prospects in the 2026 class
Different positions, same projected draft tier as Jeremiyah Love.
- Fernando Mendoza · QB · Indiana
- Francis Mauigoa · OT · Miami (FL)
- Arvell Reese · EDGE · Ohio State
- Sonny Styles · LB · Ohio State