Jeremiyah Love proved to be an elite talent as both a rusher and a receiver during the 2025 season at Notre Dame. His exceptional skill set positions him as the next top-tier running back prospect, following in the footsteps of Bijan Robinson, with the potential to be a high first-round pick.
Why Dan Patrick Is Cautious About Jeremiyah Love to the Tennessee Titans
Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt had Love going to the Tennessee Titans with the No. 4 overall pick in a recent mock draft. Klatt believes that Love will be a strong fit with second-year quarterback Cam Ward, but national commentator Dan Patrick offered a more cautious perspective regarding Love’s fit and draft outlook in Tennessee.
“Speaking of Jeremiyah Love, I had him as second on my Heisman list,” Patrick said. “I thought he was wonderful this year. I thought he was must-see TV. Here’s the problem I have, and I guess it’s a good problem, but the Tennessee Titans at No. 4, they’re the ones that a lot of these mock drafts have them taking Jeremiah Love, the Notre Dame running back. And while I love Jeremiyah Love, I don’t want to take a running back unless I know my team. That’s the missing piece.
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“If I’m Tennessee, I think long and hard about, okay, I take Jeremiyah Love. How is my offensive line? Because if we’re confident our line is pretty good, not average, then take Jeremiah Love…Jeremiyah Love is a home run waiting to happen, but I’ve gotta make sure that I have a team that can allow him to hit home runs.”
Love finished the 2025 season with a 92.4 score in the PFSN College Football RB Impact Metric, ranking fourth in the nation. His combination of speed and explosiveness was on full display at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he clocked a 4.38-second 40-yard dash.
In a recent episode of “The Joel Klatt Show,” NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay shared that Love is the first running back he has ever ranked No. 1 on his big board in his career covering the draft.
However, Patrick reiterated that Love’s success in the NFL is heavily dependent on the five players in front of him, the offensive line, more so than almost any other position. This is why Patrick said that a team like the Washington Commanders might ultimately be a better fit.
“But if I’m taking Jeremiyah Love, like Washington to me is the destination, because they had to down your injuries, and you put Jeremiyah Love in there with Jayden Daniels, now we got something,” Patrick said.
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“We got something going on, but I’ve got to have the right team ready to go for that running back.”
The running back position has generally declined in draft value in the last few years, but Love is different, as he is arguably the most polished offensive weapon in the 2026 class. He rushed for 1,372 yards last season at an average of 6.9 yards per carry and tallied 21 total touchdowns, breaking the program record for total touchdowns in a season at Notre Dame.
