Notre Dame's explosive running back Jeremiyah Love rockets up draft boards, poised to be a top-five selection and revitalize a struggling NFL backfield.
We're a little over a month and a half away from the 2026 NFL Draft and analysts are starting to get a better idea of how the first round will shake out. Obviously, there's still some players who will participate in their Pro Day's at their schools but Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love will not be one of those players. After a solid combine performance, Love has worked his way up into the top five of several mock drafts including Tom Fornelli's of CBS Sports.
"Everything the Titans do should be to support Cam Ward, and that includes a ground game," Fornelli explained. "The Titans had one of the least explosive rushing attacks in the NFL last year. Love immediately fixes that."
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.
The 6-0, 214-pound running back 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.
Love had a strong performance down in Indianapolis and solidified himself as the No. 1 running back in this year's draft class. The Titans taking him with the fourth overall pick would make a lot of sense. Tennessee's rushing attack has struggled to get going after Derrick Henry's departure after the 2023 season. Since then, the Titans haven't had a running back finished with over five rushing touchdowns which ranks towards the bottom of the league.
The Titans are in need of blue-chip star power in the backfield along side quarterback Cam Ward who is headed into his second year in the NFL and Love brings that to the table. He was a Heisman finalist in 2025, won the Doak Walker award and was the first Notre Dame running back in program history to win the coveted running back award. He's a big play threat and has the ability to make impact plays in the pass game.
Those who watched him every weekend wearing the blue and gold know how special of a talent the St. Louis native is. He's a big play waiting to happen and can take it to the house from anywhere on the field. Something the Titans have lacked in the ground game since 2024. If Love is taken with the No. 4 overall pick, he'd be the highest drafted skilled player from Notre Dame in quite some time, and that's becoming more of a reality.
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