Impactful offseason moves reshape draft projections. Will Jeremiyah Love still land in the Top 10, and where will this dynamic dual-threat land?
We're only 43 days away from the 2026 NFL Draft, but NFL free agency has started off with a bang. Over the last several weeks, we've seen Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love projected to go somewhere in the Top 10 of the ensuing draft. The runaway favorites have been the Tennessee Titans with the No. 4 overall pick, the New Orleans Saints with the No. 8 overall pick and the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 9 overall pick.
This past week, the Chiefs signed running back Kenneth Walker III from the Seattle Seahawks after his Super Bowl MVP performance back in February. The New Orleans Saints have acquired former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne raising the question on where Love will now be taken. ESPN's Field Yates still has Love projected as a Top 10 pick, but the destination has changed.
"The Commanders landed one of the best free agent pass rushers in Odafe Oweh, which checks the box for their most pressing need and enables general manager Adam Peters to take my No. 2 prospect in this class," Yates explained. "We can debate the merits of taking a running back early in perpetuity, but Love is a dynamic, dual-threat player who would instantly supercharge what was a middle-of-road backfield last season. Teaming up Love with Jayden Daniels could be a lot of fun."
Positional value aside, Love is a top three prospect in this year's draft, and he's not third. Heck, you could argue he's not second. The Washington Commanders had a stable of running backs last season, but nobody separated themselves from the pack.
Rookie running back Jacorey Croskey-Merritt led the team with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Croskey-Merritt also led the league in the early window of the regular season in yards per carry, but saw his role diminish as 2025 progressed. Fellow running back Chris Rodriguez finished the year with 500 rushing yards and six touchdowns while Jeremy McNichols and Austin Ekeler made some contributions as well.
Love brings a dual-threat ability to the backfield that the Commanders have lacked for quite some time. The St. Louis native finished his career with the Irish as one of the most prolific running backs in program history. In 2025, he won the Doak Walker Award and finished as a Heisman finalists and made the trip out to New York.
The 6-0, 212-pound running back finished his Notre Dame career with 433 carries, 2,882 rushing yards, averaged 6.7 yards per rush, 36 rushing touchdowns, 63 receptions, 594 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. Pairing him with Daniels at quarterback could be a lethal backfield. The Daniels/Love duo would quickly rise in the ranks as one of the most athletic and talented quarterback/running back tandems in the league.
Free agency officially starts today, but organizations started making moves at the start of this week. The Commanders are in prime position to take the best running back on the board and one of the best overall prospects in this year's draft. Giving Daniels a true running back threat out of the backfield will bode well for Washington and their hopes to make it back to the playoffs in 2026.
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