Daniel Jeremiah Compares Jeremiyah Love's Pre-Draft Grade to Zeke, Saquon, Christian McCaffrey

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is far and away the best player at his position in the 2026 NFL draft class, and his early projections have him being compared to some of the greatest ball-carriers of this generation.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer spoke to draft experts Daniel Jeremiah and Todd McShay about Love, and both of them view him as "a true three-down guy with the bulk and power to be a workhorse." Jeremiah even declared that his grade on Love was "higher than his pre-draft grade on Zeke Elliott, lower than Saquon Barkley's and similar to Christian McCaffrey's."

In 2025, Love ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on his way to being named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, which was won by Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The speedster was also named a unanimous All-American and won the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the nation. B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked him third overall in its big board for the 2026 draft.

Breer noted that Love "draws comparisons to Atlanta's Bijan Robinson when he was coming out." Jeremiah had the Fighting Irish star ranked second in his latest draft big board.

"He has elite speed on outside runs to capture the corner and take it the distance. He has a rare ability to make defenders miss without gearing down. His spin move is electric. In the passing game, he can run routes like a wideout. He's smooth, polished and natural," Jeremiah stated. "... Overall, Love is a home run hitter and will immediately expand the playbook for his drafting team."

If Love can live up to his lofty comparisons, he could go down as the best player from this year's draft class.