In another indication that running back Jeremiyah Love is indeed a serious consideration for the New York Giants at No. 5 in the 2026 NFL Draft, highly-regarded draft analyst Todd McShay has given Love to New York in his newly-released mock draft.
The draft is available at The Ringer and McShay’s subscription-only newsletter.
McShay and podcast co-host Steve Meunch recently made the case that drafting a running back in the top 10 is both bad business and not a winning philosophy. The podcast is below:
At the 22:10 mark of the podcast, McShay said this about the Giants and Love:
“There’s talk about the Giants as a possibility. I wouldn’t completely rule it out, but I don’t think that’s the direction they’re going to go at 5.”
In his mock, McShay admitted considering giving Love to the Tennessee Titans at No. 4. He gave them edge defender Reuben Bain instead, saying in part:
“While RB Jeremiyah Love is tempting, recent history doesn’t support spending top-10 capital on backs. Why? Because there isn’t a top-10 RB pick in the past decade who has played in a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him (from Jeanty to Bijan to Saquon to Fournette to CMC to Zeke).”
McShay gave the Giants Love, anyway, pointing to “league intel.” He wrote:
For the reasons I just outlined with the Titans, I’m not fully convinced this is the pick. Pairing Sonny Styles with recently signed LB Tremaine Edmunds could be tempting for the Giants, and I like Caleb Downs here as well. But league intel suggests the Giants are one of the most likely teams to take Love in the top 10 (along with the Commanders and Chiefs, or possibly a team like the Rams in a trade up).
If you’re drafting a back this high, he needs to be a weapon—and Love is. With excellent speed (4.36 40), natural hands, and a real route-running ability, he gives Jaxson Dart a true explosive outlet.
This would signal a clear offensive vision: build around the run game and play-action, similar to how Baltimore developed around Lamar Jackson. Pairing Love with Cam Skattebo (pre-injury form) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. gives the Giants a deep, versatile backfield capable of carrying the offense and maximizing Dart’s strengths.
McShay has Love as the top-ranked player in the draft class, with a grade of 94 on a 100-point scale. McShay’s Love scouting report says:
The player
Love is a threat to pull away every time he touches the ball and has explosive burst running between the tackles and going north to south. He’s a patient runner with a good feel for how to sift through traffic on the inside. He presses the line of scrimmage and makes late cuts, and he churns his legs to pick up yards with a second effort once his initial momentum is stopped. (His touchdown run versus Penn State in the 2024 CFP semifinal game is an outstanding example.) He was a unanimous All-American last season and rushed for 2,497 yards and 35 touchdowns over the past two seasons with an average of 6.9 yards per carry. He showed off his speed at the combine, where he ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and a 1.55-second 10-yard split.
Love has explosive finishing power and keeps defenders guessing with the way he mixes in spins and hurdles. As a pass catcher, his speed makes him a threat running wheel routes, he tracks the ball well, and he can make one-handed catches. He’s a weapon in the screen game. He has the traits to develop into an elite route runner for the position, and he got 63 snaps working out of the slot at Notre Dame. There’s an occasional focus drop on tape, but he tracks and catches the ball well for the most part. He can still get stronger and work on his technique, but he made his biggest strides in 2025 as a pass blocker. He can step up and knock defenders back.
The ball can drift from his frame, but he got 504 touches and fumbled just once at Notre Dame. He’s built well, but a knee injury slowed him down late in the 2024 season, and he doesn’t have elite size. He leaves his feet and tries to hurdle defenders a little too often.
The draft
Love is the best player regardless of position in the 2026 draft class, and he grades out higher than 2025 sixth pick Ashton Jeanty did. He has a chance to be the first back drafted in the top five since the Giants drafted Saquon Barkley second in 2018.
The projection
Love projects as a team’s primary ballcarrier as a rookie. His speed and frame compare favorably to those of 2008 fourth pick Darren McFadden. Injuries derailed McFadden’s NFL career, but there was no questioning his talent coming out of Arkansas. A bigger version of Jahmyr Gibbs is another comp.
Picking Love would be a violation of Rule No. 3 in Big Blue View Rules for Draft Success, which were just updated and posted on Monday. If the Giants were to select Love it would certainly be a hotly-debated decision. The only basis upon which I could support it is if they feel they need to go offense at that spot, Love is a more highly-regarded and probably more impactful prospect than wide receiver Carnell Tate or any of the available offensive tackles.
