The 2026 NFL Draft class of running backs will not be near as good as the 2025 edition, as we just saw a special class of backs graduate to the league. This past April saw the highest number of running backs taken since 2017, and it’s going to be near impossible for the ’26 class to match that. There is one elite RB prospect who stands out above the rest however- Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love.
With apologies to The Beatles, “love is all you need” when you’re listing out all the tailbacks who will likely go in the first round next April. After Love, there is a pretty substantial drop-off. So what makes the Golden-Domer stand out so high above the rest of the field?
Obviously, it’s speed. In high school, He won a Missouri state title in the 100 meter dash, registering a blazing 10.76 seconds. We’ll have to wait until the draft exploratory process, of course, to see what his official 40-yard dash time is, but he is understood to be in the range of 4.40 to 4.48, which is very impressive on its face.
It’s even more impressive when you consider his listed size- 6’0″, 212 pounds. These days, it feels like the ideal height for a NFL RB1 is 6 feet, or 6’1″, which is a stark contrast from the 1990s, the heyday of Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders, when the perfect size for a feature back was around 5’9″ or 5’10”.
So height/size is another natural gift going in Love’s favor. Agility is another strong suit of the St. Louis native, and that is conveyed every time he makes a cut in the open field. Very few defenders are “too fast for love” (with apologies to Motley Crue), as the focal point of the Fighting Irish offense consistently conveyed an ability to set the edge.
And despite all opposing defenses keying in on him, during the Irish’s national runner-up season, he still averaged an eye-popping 6.9 yards per rush. That includes a long of 98 yards.
So with all of these strengths, what is Love’s weakness? Well, he doesn’t have many, but there is work to do in pass protection. His competitiveness and will, or want-to, can only take him so far in pass pro. And in today’s NFL, pass pro is as important as its ever been. Love needs to bulk up in order to improve in this category.
If he can get to 220 or more by draft day, and polish up his pass blocking a bit, he might be able to take this weakness and make it something closer to a strength.
