The Arizona Cardinals have changed things up this offseason. The biggest move the team made saw them move on from quarterback Kyler Murray, but they have also hired Mike LaFleur to be their new hew head coach and made changes across the roster in an effort to help their rebuild get off on the right foot.
One move that falls in the latter category saw the Cardinals select former Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Many folks were surprised to see Arizona select Love at this spot, but according to the man himself, he could tell well ahead of time that he would be heading to the NFC West.
Jeremiyah Love Knew He Would Be Getting Drafted by the Cardinals
Everybody knew that Love was going to be the first running back off the board in the 2026 draft, but nobody expected him to go as early as he did. Beyond that, nobody figured that Arizona would be the team to select him. Reports indicated that the Cardinals wanted to trade down the board, but if they stayed put, Miami Hurricanes Francis Mauigoa was widely expected to be their pick.
Instead, Arizona beefed up its offense by drafting Love after he wreaked havoc during his time with Notre Dame. While he didn’t carry the same hype that Ashton Jeanty did in the 2025 NFL Draft, Love is still viewed as a Pro Bowl-caliber running back, as he racked up 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish last season.
Even with James Conner and Tyler Allgeier on the depth chart, Love is going to take on a big role in Arizona’s offense right away. Initially, Love thought he would be getting selected by either the New York Giants or Tennessee Titans, but as the draft drew closer, he quickly began to realize that he wasn’t going to make it past the Cardinals.
“I kind of expected it towards the end, maybe a week before the draft,” Love said in an interview with R.org. “I got on a call with Monty, and Monty’s our GM, and we sat down and talked for a little minute, and it was a great conversation. (Prior to that) the Cardinals didn’t hit me up during the whole draft experience, so we kinda knew what was going on.”
Cardinals Have High Hopes for Jeremiyah Love in 2026
GettyArizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love
Both Conner and Allgeier are going to receive snaps for Arizona on offense, but anytime you use the No. 3 overall pick on a player, you are going to be expecting some sort of contribution from them right away. That is precisely the case for Love, as the Cardinals are hoping he can support whoever their quarterback ends up being by consistently racking up big gains on the ground.
If all goes according to plan, Love could be in store for a big season, and it should come as no surprise that he’s one of the early favorites to win the 2026 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Arizona’s offense could labor through some growing pains next season, but if it can figure out the quarterback position, it could actually be in a position to surprise a lot of folks much sooner than expected.
Jeremiyah Love Drops Truth Bomb on Getting Drafted by Cardinals