Jeremiyah Love to Cardinals, Fans React to B/R's Top RB Going No. 3 in 2026 NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals are bolstering their offense with the top running back in the 2026 NFL draft.

Former Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love went to the Cardinals with the No. 3 pick of the 2026 NFL draft Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Fans had mixed reactions to the Cardinals starting out the post-Kyler Murray era by using a top-three pick on a running back.

Love was ranked as the No. 1 running back and No. 2 overall prospect on Bleacher Report's 2026 NFL draft big board.

He entered the draft having posted consecutive 1,100 rushing-yard seasons as a starter for Notre Dame, including a career-high 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games of his junior season.

B/R NFL scout Damian Parson described Love as "a dynamic and explosive running back who possesses the skill set to be a complete weapon in an NFL offensse."

"He combines home-run top-end speed with route-running and pass-catching ability to impact the offense in multiple ways," Parson wrote.

Love measured in at 6'0" and 212 pounds with an armspan of 32" and a handspan of 9 1/8" during the NFL scouting combine.

The running back, formerly a Missouri state champion track athlete in the 100-meter race, capped off the combine by running a 4.36-second 40-yard dash.

That speed was part of the reason Love averaged more than 114 rushing yards per game in his final college season while helping Notre Dame's offense rank as one of the highest-scoring units in FBS.

The Cardinals will now hope Love can provide a similarly positive impact in his rookie NFL season as the team heads into the fall with a quarterback room led by Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II.