The Arizona Cardinals attempted to move down from the No. 3 pick on Thursday night but found no willing partners. So Arizona stayed put and drafted Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, making him the first running back selected in the top five since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall to the New York Giants in 2018.
The pick comes with a fully guaranteed four-year contract worth close to $53 million, immediately making Love one of the highest-paid running backs in football before he even takes an NFL snap. For a 3-14 team with no franchise quarterback and a roster full of holes, the decision sparked immediate backlash.
Dan Graziano Rips Cardinals’ Decision to Draft Jeremiyah Love
ESPN analyst Dan Graziano did not hold back on Friday’s edition of “Get Up,” and criticized Arizona’s decision as a fundamental misunderstanding of roster construction under the salary cap.
“Awesome player, terrible pick,” Graziano said. “Like, at three, it doesn’t make sense to take a running back unless… if the Rams had had the third pick, right, and they’re ready to go, maybe. But the reason it doesn’t make sense is financial. There is a salary cap in the NFL. The rookie contracts are all slotted. The third pick’s going to get the same contract no matter what position he plays. In this case, it’s $52.5 million over four years, $13.1 million a year.”
Graziano’s argument centered on the financial structure of slotted rookie contracts. Since the third pick carries the same salary regardless of position, Love’s $13.1 million annual average is nearly equivalent to what the top running backs in the league earn.
“Awesome player. Terrible pick.” 😳
The crew debates if RB Jeremiyah Love was a good pick for the Cardinals at No. 3 👀 pic.twitter.com/fx79LwNTIs
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 24, 2026
“That is almost as much money per year as Jonathan Taylor makes from the Indianapolis Colts,” Graziano added. “Look, one pick later, the Titans take Carnell Tate, wide receiver. His annual salary is going to be roughly a little bit less than what Khalil Shakir makes from the Buffalo Bills. What you have there is value. He [Tate] can outplay his rookie contract. Jeremiyah Love really can’t.”
“If he [Love] plays at the top level, he’s already getting paid like a top running back,” Graziano continued. “So, you’re going to have to find some kind of bargain somewhere else as you build your roster out. And that’s why a team like Arizona, sitting at three, with maybe the three best teams in the league last year in their division, not ready to win right now, it’s not the right pick for them.”
The criticism cuts deeper when considering what Arizona already has on its roster. All-Pro tight end Trey McBride set the NFL’s single-season receptions record for a tight end in 2025 with 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wide receiver Michael Wilson emerged as a reliable secondary target with career-highs across the board. According to PFSN’s WR Impact Metric, Wilson finished last season with an impact score of 76.5, ranking 38th in the league.
Even Marvin Harrison Jr., despite an injury-marred sophomore campaign that limited him to 41 catches and 608 yards, remains a high-ceiling piece on a rookie deal. And veteran James Conner, though limited to three games in 2025, is still on the roster alongside newly signed Tyler Allgeier, who received $8 million guaranteed in free agency.
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The more glaring issue is the one the Cardinals seem reluctant to address: the quarterback position. Arizona released Kyler Murray in March after seven seasons, absorbing a massive dead cap hit in the process. The current quarterback room consists of Jacoby Brissett, who went 1-11 as a starter in 2025, and Gardner Minshew, who signed on a one-year, $5.75 million deal as a backup.
Neither inspires confidence as the face of a rebuilding franchise, and Arizona is in a bad situation as their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, selected Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick. The former Alabama quarterback was floated as the ideal option for the Cardinals in this year’s draft, but now it looks like they have to wait till next year to find Murray’s replacement.
Given what was still available when Arizona went on the clock, the case for a different direction was strong. Arvell Reese lasted until No. 5, where the New York Giants grabbed him, linebacker Sonny Styles went No. 7 to the Washington Commanders, and safety Caleb Downs fell to No. 11 before the Dallas Cowboys traded up for him.
All three addressed premium positions and landed with teams that could build around them for years. Any of those players would have given Arizona a defensive cornerstone to pair with the offensive talent already in place.
