Jeremiyah Love goes No. 3 to Cardinals in NFL draft in statement pick

The Cardinals are hoping to be lucky in Love.

Jeremiyah Love became the highest running back drafted since 2018 when he was selected by Arizona with the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It’s a significant pushback moment in the positional-value movement that has deprioritized investing assets in running backs over the last decade.

Because the rookie wage scale is indiscriminate of positions, Love will sign a fully guaranteed four-year, $50.5 million contract with the highest guarantee ever given to a running back. And the average annual value of his deal already ranks No. 7 among peers, after distinguished resumes like Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry.

Jeremiyah Love of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Getty Images

Barkley was the last running back drafted within the top-five picks, when the Giants took him No. 2 in 2018. He also was at the start of the revolution when the Giants declined to pay him about $11.5 million per year, he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl as an all-time free agent signing and then inked an extension that pays him $20.6 million per year.

Ranked No. 1 on The Post’s top-75 Big Board, Love is more than a traditional running back. He rushed for 2,497 yards (6.9 per carry) and 35 touchdowns and added 55 catches for 517 yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons at Notre Dame.

“A lot of teams are telling me they view me as a weapon,” Love said on SiriusXM. “A guy that can do whatever you need him to do: I can split out wide, play in the slot, run the ball, block. Anything you need me to do, I’m willing to do – but I’m able to do it as well.”

Jeremiyah Love #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Syracuse Orange at Notre Dame Stadium on November 22, 2025. Getty Images

Love, who had zero fumbles in his career, arrived Thursday on the red carpet in Pittsburgh with his personalized comic book character stitched into one side of his custom suit jacket and photos of his college career shown on the other side.

The Raiders opened the draft with the expected pick of Fernando Mendoza and the Jets settled their edge-rusher debate with Arvel Reese over David Bailey. If the Cardinals had not taken Love, the Titans (No. 4) and Giants (No. 5) were thought to be strong options, with Commanders (No. 7) considered to be his floor.

The Cardinals recently restructured James Conner’s contract to keep him on the roster and signed free agent Tyler Allgeier. Conner had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2023-24 before he suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3 of last season.

But neither is as explosive as Love.

“I think running back is a lost art,” Cardinals center Hjate Froholdt said recently. “People think, ‘Running backs are just running backs, as long as the O-line blocks well, we’re good.’ …  In the end we want you to be smart and do what the playbook says, but (running) back is such a feel game. If you produce, you produce.”