The Minnesota Vikings are betting that J.J. McCarthy will be their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future. McCarthy already has weapons in the passing game with Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison, but he might need a reliable running game.
Minnesota does have Aaron Jones Sr., but he will be turning 31 years old on December 2. Moreover, with Jones’ injury history, it’s time for the Vikings to find a long-term replacement for the veteran this upcoming offseason.
Should the Vikings Draft a Running Back in 2026?
The Vikings have several routes to find a running back: Free agency, trade, and the NFL Draft. If Minnesota’s front office decides that the draft is the route they want to take, Jacob Infante of PFSN predicts that Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love will be the player that the Vikings take.
“Kevin O’Connell is one of the brightest offensive coaching minds in the NFL, but the Minnesota Vikings could use some additional firepower to help bring J.J. McCarthy up to speed,” Infante wrote. “In particular, they currently lack a long-term solution at running back.”
He added, “Jeremiyah Love isn’t far from the Ashton Jeanty comparisons you’ll hear in this class. He’s a dynamic, three-down runner with impressive burst, vision, balance, and fluid cuts. He drops out of the top ten of our 2026 NFL Mock Draft due to positional value, but he’s a top-10 overall prospect in this class.”
Love has been a workhorse again this season for the Fighting Irish. Through nine games so far, he has recorded 988 rushing yards (6.4 yards per attempt) and 13 touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. Furthermore, the Notre Dame star is a threat in the passing game as well, having posted 254 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
This season, the Vikings are ranked 27th in Offense Impact according to PFSN’s Offense Impact. The team has a score of 66.4 and is graded D.
Jeremiyah Love Would Fill a Need for the Vikings
Not only does selecting Love make sense as a potential long-term replacement for Jones and competition for Jordan Mason, but he also fills a significant weakness on the Vikings’ offense. Minnesota is in the bottom 10 so far this season in team rushing yards (919), per the NFL.
However, the team is in the middle of the pack in yards per carry (4.6), so with their young quarterback, the Vikings need a reliable run game that can take the pressure off of him. Perhaps having a player like Love will force Minnesota to stick with the running game, as they’ll need to be feeding him the ball to take advantage of his talent.
