Heading into the 2025 season, all the talk surrounding running backs across the country led to Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. The junior was widely viewed as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner — no small feat for a running back, considering no player at the position has won the award since Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015.
It’s still unclear whether Love will earn an invitation to New York, but he has certainly helped push the Fighting Irish toward another College Football Playoff–worthy season. Notre Dame finished the regular season 10-2, thanks in part to Love rushing for more than 100 yards in six games. He currently ranks fourth in the country in rushing yards (1,372) and third in touchdowns (18).
Those accolades — and any still to come — are setting Love up to be one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller, teams shouldn’t be expected to gush over the Notre Dame star the way they did with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in the 2025 draft.
Jeremiyah Love Won’t Get Same NFL Draft Treatment as Ashton Jeanty
Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, several teams were rumored to be exploring trade-ups for Jeanty. But new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek stayed put and selected the Boise State standout with the No. 6 overall pick.
Jeanty became the highest-drafted running back in seven years — since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall to the New York Giants in 2018. Naturally, with Love considered the top running back in the 2026 class, many wondered whether teams would be even more eager to land him.
Miller doesn’t believe so.
“False. I think some of that will be due to Jeanty’s struggles this season (635 yards in 12 games),” Miller said. “The NFL runs in cycles, and Jeanty’s failure to spark the Raiders’ offense will likely lead to some trepidation in front offices about drafting another back in the top 10.
“Given the sheer number of teams that need quarterbacks and the presence of multiple top-tier edge rusher prospects, it’s hard to find a clear fit for Love in the top 10. I don’t see a team taking Love earlier than Jeanty’s slot at No. 6.”
Jeanty is likely the least of the Raiders’ offensive concerns this season. Las Vegas ranks bottom three in scoring, rushing and total offense. The team also fired first-year offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after 11 games.
Latest 2026 NFL Draft Projection for Jeremiyah Love
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson echoed Miller’s outlook in his latest mock draft. Wilson has Love going No. 11 overall to the Minnesota Vikings — five spots lower than where Jeanty was selected in 2025.
“Love has legit track speed and high-end acceleration. He can stop on a dime and redirect with rare change of direction, while playing with good contact balance and the footwork to jump-cut to avoid defenders before hitting the crease,” Wilson wrote.
Even so, Miller believes Love has the type of talent that could make one team break away from positional value and long-held draft philosophies.
“That said, Love’s ability to break off big runs, patience and vision behind the line of scrimmage, and overall speed at 6-foot and 214 pounds make him special. A team might go against positional value — and against higher-priority needs — and still take him in the back half of the top 10.”
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