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There is a lot of smoke coming out about the Arizona Cardinals and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft involving Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love.
But is that smoke coming from a real fire?
That's the question teams around the league will be trying to answer heading into Thursday night's first round.
If the Cardinals truly want Love, it could push other teams to trade up to that spot -- or it could mean Arizona takes a running back shockingly early despite having plenty of other needs.
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Or it could all be a ruse by the Cards to drum up trade interest with no true intent of taking Love in the first place.
"The Love buzz has persisted for a few weeks, with the belief that Arizona really likes him," wrote ESPN's Jeremy Fowler as part of a new article that came out late on Wednesday. "But the Cardinals could be looking to drum up trade interest, too, with either Love or 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."
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For what it's worth, ESPN's Matt Miller in his final mock draft has the Cardinals taking edge rusher Arvell Reese out of Ohio State.
"I wouldn't rule out a surprise here -- maybe Jeremiyah Love or (Miami OT) Francis Mauigoa -- but I'm sticking with the chalk pick of Reese to boost a defense that allowed 28.7 points per game last season (29th in the NFL)," Miller writes. "But if you're looking for a spot for your mock draft to get shaken up, it's right here."
The expectation laid out by Fowler and Miller is that the Jets will take David Bailey with the second pick. If that holds firm after the Raiders choose Fernando Mendoza, it really does mean the intrigue begins with the third pick and the Cardinals.
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