Cardinals' Interest in Jeremiyah Love Questioned by NFL Teams in New Draft Trade Rumors

No team is more intriguing ahead of Thursday's first round at the NFL draft than the Arizona Cardinals, with persistent rumors about a desire to trade back, but also buzz that the team has interest in Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, "The Love buzz has persisted for a few weeks, with the belief that Arizona really likes him. But the Cardinals could be looking to drum up trade interest, too, with either Love or [Ohio State edge-rusher Arvel Reese] as a catalyst. The draft, in a way, starts at No. 3. And some teams are wondering if Arizona is bluffing on the Love pick when edge rusher and offensive tackle are such obvious needs."

Even Love acknowledged the Cardinals' buzz.

"I have no idea where I'm going, but there's a lot of talk of me going to the Tennessee Titans, Cardinals, New York Giants," he told NFL.com's Jeremy Bergman. "Honestly, I'd be blessed to go anywhere. Whatever team I go to, I'mma make them better."

The Cardinals have a lot of needs around the roster, calling into question whether taking a running back with such valuable draft capital is really the best option. Generally speaking, making sure positions like quarterback, edge-rusher, offensive tackle, wide receiver and cornerback are locked down before addressing running back is the more conventional team-building strategy.

On the other hand, certain players are special enough to break with convention. Whether the Cardinals truly believe that to be the case with Love will be revealed on Thursday night.