Jeremiyah Love is getting all the attention in pre-draft talks. Most projections have him going in the top 10. But one draft analyst is pushing back hard on the hype with a take that goes completely against the grain.
Running Back Jeremiyah Love Hype-Train Takes a Hit
On the latest episode of PFSN’s Football Debate Club, host Cam Mellor personalized the question.
Not which team should draft Love, but how early he should realistically come off the board. Guest draft analyst Anthony Russo offered a rather minority hot take.
Russo didn’t even pause to think; he said, “So, I definitely think I’m in the minority when I say that I personally would not draft Jeremiyah Love in the first round. I’m a bit lower on him than most people are as a prospect, and also the Ashton Jeanty taste from last season with the Raiders is still there for me. So between those two things, I wouldn’t even take him in the first round.”
“Honestly, if I had to pinpoint a spot in the first round that I think would be my starting point, I think Minnesota at 18 makes a lot of sense,” Russo added. “They need a weapon to get whatever they can out of J.J. McCarthy, bolster that offense a bit, and Aaron Jones is not the young lad he once was.”
It’s messy and chaotic because it goes against almost everything tied to Love’s profile. If anything, it underscores just how strong the consensus has been around the Notre Dame running back.
PFSN’s scouting report grades him 90.37, ranking No. 4 overall in the class, with traits that place him in the same conversation as recent high-end prospects like Ashton Jeanty and Bijan Robinson. At 6’0″, 214 pounds, he blends burst, long speed, and short-area quickness with sharp vision and patience, consistently creating and exploiting space.
What separates Love further is the completeness of his game. He processes fronts, manipulates defenders, and maintains balance through contact despite not being the heaviest back.
Then, there’s an elite production to back up the talk. Love rushed for 1,372 yards on 6.9 yards per carry with 18 touchdowns in 2025. He also contributed in the passing game, finishing his collegiate career with 63 receptions for 594 yards and six touchdowns, reinforcing his value as a dual-threat option.
Notre Dame running back ranked as the No. 4 player in PFSN’s College Running Back Impact Metric (RBi) in 2025.
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That is why Russo’s hesitation feels like a philosophical difference. He’s surely not dismissing the talent on show. It has more to do with how teams value running backs in the modern draft and how recent experiences, such as the Jeanty situation with the Raiders, shape those decisions.
Still, the Minnesota angle he mentioned is telling. The Vikings have been productive on the ground, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, but lack true explosiveness. With just 14 breakaway runs of 15-plus yards last season, the run game often felt functional rather than threatening. A player like Love would change that in a heartbeat.
