Notre Dame's electrifying running back ignites NFL draft buzz with a blazing combine. Will he be a top-five pick, following Barkley's path?
The NFL Combine just wrapped up down here in Indianapolis and one of the biggest standouts of the weekend was Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love. He only participated in the 40-yard dash and the on-field drills and the St. Louis native showed out. He finished the afternoon running an official 4.36 40-yard dash and was everything we thought he would be during the field drills.
Due to his strong showing at the NFL Combine, Love has elected to not participate in Notre Dame's Pro-Day happening later this spring. The only thing left to do now is wait and see where the Doak Walker Award winner will get drafted. Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated believes that Love's performance down in Indianapolis will vault him into the top five making him the highest drafted running back since Saquon Barkley who was taken No. 2 overall by the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft.
"The Tennessee Titans need more blue-chip talents General mana," Melo explained. General manager Mike Borgonzi is attempting to surround franchise quarterback Cam Ward with more talent. While many assume that means a wide receiver, there's none worth taking at No. 4 overall. Jeremiyah Love is an elite prospect, proven by the 4.36 he ran, paired with his on-field combine workout on Saturday. Love has Hall of Fame character, and adding him to Brian Daboll's offense would take a lot of pressure off of Ward's shoulders."
Love would be a strong fit in this offense and give them an attack on the ground that has been absent from Nashville since Derrick Henry departed in 2024. The 6-0, 212-pound dual-threat running back provides impact playmaking in both the pass game and run game, something that is highly valued in today's NFL. He draws characteristics from both Bijan Robinson who plays for the Falcons and Jahmyr Gibbs who plays for the Detroit Lions.
Love ended his Notre Dame career as one of the most prolific ball carriers to line up in the backfield. He was named a Unanimous All-American and was only the 38th player in the history of the Fighting Irish football program to achieve that feat.
The St. Louis native ended the regular season ranked 2nd nationally in scoring, 2nd in total points scored, 2nd in total touchdowns (21), 3rd in rushing touchdowns (18), 4th in rushing yards (1,372), 5th in rushing yards per game (114.3), 5th in yards per carry (6.9) and 5th in all purpose yards per game (137.67). The St. Louis native finished the regular season with 199 carries, 1,372 rushing yards, 27 receptions, 280 receiving yards, 18 rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.
Heading into the NFL Combine, it was clear that Love was the No. 1 running back in the draft class. There was just a question of when and where in the first round would he be taken. After his strong showing at the combine paired with his dominant two-year production, Love's ability to crack the top five in the upcoming draft is becoming more of a reality. If he's taken with the No. 4 overall pick, that would make him the highest drafted running back from Notre Dame since Julius Jones was taken No. 43 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft.
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