Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love is seeing strong stock ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, but his suitors must account for the Ashton Jeanty parable in the Las Vegas Raiders camp. Love is considered by many to be a top prospect in this draft class and is projected to be selected in the first round. He could add value right from the get-go, but there is an important factor to consider.
What Did Chase Edmonds Have to Say?
No matter how good a running back is, their production is significantly, or often entirely, dependent on their offensive lines. Vision, speed, and power are worth nothing without proper blocking. As such, there is an interesting situation circling Love ahead of the draft. While he might be the star that teams in need are looking for, he is going to need an offensive line to be the answer.
Seventh-year running back Chase Edmonds believes this to be the biggest factor that teams looking to draft Love should consider. “I love how natural of a runner [Love] is,” Edmonds told RG. “Very smooth. Very explosive. I’ll say that when it comes to drafting a running back in the top-10, you have to evaluate your team. Because running back is a very dependent position.”
The Raiders drafted Jeanty in 2025 in hopes of establishing a solid run game; however, their offensive line (53.4 PFSN O-Line Impact) resulted in the rookie recording only 3.7 yards per carry. “You had someone like Ashton Jeanty go sixth last year to the Raiders, and the Raiders didn’t have a damn soul to block for him,” Edmonds added.
“So you’ve got Ashton getting killed in his rookie year with all of these hits, and they’re force-feeding him the football because they are trying to justify the pick. So I think it’s all about team need and team situation.”
Philadelphia Eagles superstar Saquon Barkley dominated the league in 2024, recording 2,005 rushing yards behind one of the most feared offensive lines in recent history. However, in 2021 with the New York Giants, he put up only 593 yards while playing behind a porous line.
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The Tennessee Titans have been linked to Love, but they struggled with offensive line play last season, with a 68.8 grade (PFSN). It will take a proper upgrade if they aim to combine him with Cam Ward, a dual-threat quarterback successfully. It will be interesting to see how big an impact Love will have on the team that drafts him, accounting for offensive line strength.
