2026 NFL Mock Draft: Is Jeremiyah Love a Top 5 Lock? Predictions for RB, Other Stars

Kristopher KnoxApr 11, 2026

With roughly a week-and-a-half to go before the 2026 NFL draft gets underway, some draft selections feel inevitable. The Las Vegas Raiders are virtually guaranteed to use the No. 1 overall pick on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. It certainly feels like the New York Jets will take an edge-rusher with the second overall pick.

Ohio State's Arvell Reese has been a popular pick for the Jets at No. 2, though recent buzz suggests that Texas Tech's David Bailey is also in the mix.

"In canvassing people around the NFL, the overwhelming majority of them have defaulted to Texas Tech's David Bailey and Ohio State's Arvell Reese as the pick," ESPN's Field Yates recently wrote.

While it's not as clear where Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love will land, it's beginning to feel like he could be a top-five lock. You'll find a look at why he may be a top-five selection, which teams make the most sense, and an updated mock draft based on team needs, recent mock-draft trends, and the latest buzz.

Why Love Looks Like a Top-5 Lock

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AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Jeremiyah Love

Running backs rarely go in the top 10, let alone in the top five. We saw Ashton Jeanty go sixth overall last year, but Saquon Barkley was the last RB taken in the top five. That happened back in 2018.

Barkley, of course, proved himself to be a special back in 2024, when he was named Offensive Player of the Year and helped carry the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory.

Love has the traits and the tools needed to be a difference-maker in the mold of Barkley. The second-ranked overall prospect on the B/R Scouting Department's big board, Love can get tough yards as a ball-carrier, run routes from multiple positions, and reach the end zone from virtually anywhere on the field.

"Love is a dynamic and explosive running back who possesses the skill set to be a complete weapon in an NFL offense," Dame Parson of the B/R Scouting Department wrote. "He combines home-run top-end speed with route-running and pass-catching ability to impact the offense in multiple ways."

At this point, it's hard to find a mock draft that projects Love falling out of the top five.

In the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's updated mock entering April, the running back landed with the Tennessee Titans at No. 4. He also landed with Tennessee in ESPN's Peter Schrager's first mock of the season.

In ESPN's collaborative mock draft—conducted by Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates—Love landed with the New York Giants at No. 5:

"I know, I know. Kiper doesn't like early-pick running backs. But Love is so much more than just a running back. He's a dynamic playmaker who could elevate Jaxson Dart and this Giants offense to another level."

Todd McShay of The Ringer also paired Love with the Giants at No. 5.

How Love Could Fall Out of the Top Five

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AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Jeremiyah Love

Love is a logical target for both the Titans and the Giants. Both franchises are short on elite playmakers, and both have second-year quarterbacks in Cam Ward and Dart, respectively. If either team wants to pair a high-end, do-it-all back with its young quarterback, it's probably Love or bust.

While Love is the second-ranked player on the B/R board, teammate Jadarian Price is next, ranked 35th overall.

However, there's a chance that Love falls out of the top five. The Raiders and Jets—who have Breece Hall on the franchise tag—shouldn't be in the mix at all, and the Arizona Cardinals are widely expected to address other needs.

Both McShay and the ESPN collaborative mock have the Cardinals taking Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, while Schrager paired Arizona with Reese, and the B/R Scouting Department paired it with Bailey—Schrager did call Love a "wild card" for the Cardinals.

Positional value matters, and running back isn't considered a premium position, as McShay noted.

"While RB Jeremiyah Love is tempting, recent history doesn't support spending top-10 capital on backs," McShay wrote.

And while McShay did mock Love to the Giants, he admitted that he's "not fully convinced this is the pick."

If the Titans and Giants both opt for other positions—Bailey, Mauigoa, and Miami edge-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. all landed with one of the two in the four aforementioned mocks—he could fall out of the top five.

Of course, other teams will be interested in Love and could trade into the top five to grab him.

Love's Most Logical Landing Spots

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AP Photo/George Walker IV

Titans QB Cam Ward

Tennessee feels like the most logical landing spot for Love, given the team's need to surround Ward with better talent. The Miami product flashed franchise-quarterback traits as a rookie last season, but was surrounded by arguably the league's worst supporting cast. Adding Love would change his situation in a hurry.

"[Love] is an explosive homerun threat anytime he touches the football but still runs with enough power and contact balance to churn through longer drives," Parson said. "Ward doesn't need to be thrust into a Superman role this early in his career, while Love can serve as his Batman."

New York is another sensible landing spot, and for similar reasons, though the Giants at least have a promising young back in Cam Skattebo. As Schrager noted, Arizona shouldn't be discounted either.

The Cardinals are expected to have a bridge quarterback (Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew II), but they might also be in the mix for a rookie quarterback like Alabama's Ty Simpson.

Arizona traded up to land Simpson at No. 26 overall in the B/R Scouting Department's mock. If the Cardinals do have designs on a rookie QB, pairing him with Love would make a ton of sense.

The Jets are unlikely to take Love at No. 2, but if they execute a trade down, they could target the former Irish star and either try to trade Hall or allow him to walk after the 2026 season. The threat of Tennessee or New York snagging Love could cause a team to trade up to get him.

The Washington Commanders loom as the most logical trade-up candidate. Pairing Love with Jayden Daniels would give Washington the most dynamic backfield duo in the NFL.

If Love does slide out of the top five, his draft floor likely lies with Washington at No. 7. That slide, though, feels incredibly unlikely.

"Love will go somewhere in the top five, and I think Tennessee has eyes on pairing him with quarterback Cam Ward," Miller wrote.