Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love Earns Rave Review From Former NFL GM

Few will argue that Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love is the best running back in the 2026 NFL draft class.

But where exactly he ranks among the top prospects overall is one that's been hotly debated.

Some believe Love is a top-three player in the draft, regardless of position. Others say he's a good player, but one maybe not worthy of investing a too-10 pick in, especially given his position.

However, former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum made the argument Friday on ESPN's "Get Up" that Love is more than just a RB, and that's why a team with a young quarterback picking in the top 10 like the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, or Washington Commanders should seriously consider snatching Love up.

"If we're at Tennessee, this is about developing Cam Ward," Tannenbaum stated. "If we're with the Giants, it's about developing Jaxson Dart. And I think Jeremiyah Love gets pigeon-holed into the running back conversation, but he had 63 catches, and when you watch him run routes, this is an offensive weapon.

"When you're developing a young quarterback, there's a couple things you're trying to do: 1- lighten the load, actually bring down his (pass) attempts early in his career so he can get settled into the offense. But then you're also looking for a long handoff - that's two things Jeremiyah Love can do.

"He doesn't fumble, he's a great pass-protector, so I understand the point on just analytics, but what I would push back on and say is on a $300 million salary cap, we're losing the surplus-value argument on this player, let's find it someplace else. There's $300 million in our budget, this player is too unique to pass up."

To Tannenbaum's point, Love was a solid contributor catching passes out of the backfield with the Fighting Irish. He logged 28 catches, 237 yards, and two touchdowns two seasons ago, and last year he totaled 27 catches, 280 yards, and three scores.

Couple that with his ack-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons - including his 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this year - and Love is one of the more dynamic offensive weapons in the 2026 draft.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 7:23 PM.