New Giants Rumors on Jeremiyah Love Pursuit, Potential Slide to No. 5 In 2026 NFL Draft

One of John Harbaugh's first moves of note as the head coach of the New York Giants could be to draft Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday "there are people in the Giants building holding out hope" that Love will still be on the board with the No. 5 selection. He added it "would be hard to pass him up there."

New York now has two picks in the top 10 after trading defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 selection.

That gives Big Blue a bit more flexibility than it otherwise had to potentially target the best player available instead of just focusing solely on needs. And it is hard to argue that Love isn't one of the best players available.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranks Love as the second-best prospect behind only Ohio State safety Caleb Downs on its latest big board. Even though taking a running back in the top 10 is a risky endeavor in the NFL that many teams wouldn't do, it is never a bad thing to come away with elite talent.

Jeremiyah Love highlights

00:59

Love would bring that talent to the backfield and provide some injury insurance for Cam Skattebo, who flashed his potential as a rookie but was also limited to just eight games.

Skattebo will also be coming off a significant ankle injury, and there is no guarantee he will be the same player he was last year in the early going of the 2026 campaign.

The Giants have young building blocks in Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart on the offensive side. Adding Love to that group would give them a trio of potential stars who could carry the offense for the foreseeable future and be the franchise cornerstones.

In such a scenario, New York could also use the 10th pick on defense so it addresses both sides of the ball.

Perhaps that could be someone like Downs or a cornerback such as LSU's Mansoor Delane, which would give Harbaugh's new team two marquee additions.