The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of work to do in 2026, and the latest NFL draft news and rumors highlight a key potential target for Patrick Mahomes and the offense.
During a recent mock draft prediction with Pro Football Network, analyst Josh Weil suggested that KC use the No. 12 overall pick to go all-in on stud Heisman finalist Jeremiyah Love, who is widely regarded as the top collegiate running back in the nation.
“With Kansas City in a rare position to pick so high and needing to add a new element to their team, bringing in a running back with the upside of Jeremiyah Love would be perfect to do just that,” Weil reasoned. “Love followed up on a 19-touchdown sophomore season with a 1,372-yard and 21-touchdown season that had him in New York as a finalist for the Heisman.”
And those were just his rushing yardage totals. Love is a dual threat out of the backfield who has accumulated over 1,650 scrimmage yards for Notre Dame in 2025.
“[Love] has averaged exactly 6.9 yards per carry each of the last two seasons, and I think he will bring Kansas City’s offense to another level and give them the potential to get back to their glory as long as Patrick Mahomes’ ACL recovery goes smoothly,” Weil concluded.
Jeremiyah Love Would Finally Give Chiefs & Patrick Mahomes a True All-Purpose RB1
GettyNotre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Chiefs fans, we know what you’re thinking. But this is not Clyde Edwards-Helaire all over again, or even close to it.
Love is the running back the Chiefs would have dreamt of selecting all those years ago, when they finally elected to prioritize the position in the draft. And now, due to their surprise draft position, they are actually in place to get him.
Look at the impact RBs who have been drafted in the upper half of round one in recent years; Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ashton Jeanty.
The latter has started slower with the division rival Las Vegas Raiders, but in a much less ideal situation than what KC has to offer — and Jeanty has shown flashes of brilliance, too.
Then there’s Robinson and Gibbs, who are arguably the most talented and dynamic offensive players on each of their respective teams. Imagine if Mahomes had a halfback like that?
Scouting News on Potential Chiefs RB Target Jeremiyah Love
The scouting process isn’t finished for Love, or any of these 2026 prospects, but there is some early news and opinions on the potential Chiefs target.
Bleacher Report graded Love as an 8.5 out of 10, which is less than Robinson’s initial draft grade (9.0), but similar to Jeanty’s (8.5). They also compared him to Gibbs as a player.
“Jeremiyah Love is the ‘new age’ bell cow running back who does not have to leave the field,” wrote Bleacher Report draft scout Dame Parsons. “Love is a dynamic and explosive running back who possesses the skill set to be a complete weapon in an NFL offense. He combines home-run top-end speed with route-running and pass-catching ability to impact the offense in multiple ways.”
Parsons also noted Love’s “sprinter speed,” with his “fastest 100-meter dash” being timed at 10.76 seconds. Of course, Love has elite agility and elusiveness, too.
One of the biggest question marks for Love is his “leaner build/frame,” per Parsons. CBS Sports agreed, citing a rare weakness in his game that he “lacks ideal mass for a feature back.”
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