There is no denying that the New York Giants might go against the grain of common NFL thinking and select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Is Love really all that? Is he really worth becoming the highest-drafted running back since the Giants selected Saquon Barkley No. 2 in the 2018 NFL Draft?
That might depend on who is doing the evaluating.
If you ask Joshua Vowles of SB Nation’s One Foot Down, which covers Notre Dame, the answer is an enthusiastic
“yes.”
“I think he’s worth the number one overall draft pick and I don’t care about position,” Vowles said on the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast. “Jeremiyah Love is the cream of the crop. He is one of the best running backs, if not the best running back, to come out in the last decade.
“When you identify this guy as being a clear cut elite type player you go get him.”
If you ask Todd McShay of The Ringer, the answer is also yes.
McShay has Love ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the draft class, and says “Love is the best player regardless of position in the 2026 draft class.”
McShay gave Love to the Giants in his most recent mock draft [via his subscriber only newsletter]. While McShay said he was “not fully convinced” the Giants would pick Love, “league intel suggests the Giants are one of the most likely teams to take Love in the top 10.”
McShay added:
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.
In his 2026 Rookie Scouting Portfolio Draft Guide, which is worth every penny if you want to learn about skill position prospects, Matt Waldman discusses the career of Reggie Bush.
Bush needed six seasons to generate three years of production that was, at best, in the general vicinity of his rookie expectations. Bush missed 21 games during those first 6 years in the league, and his knees were becoming a problem.
Bush had a good career, but it was nowhere near the expectations pre-draft. For fans and media who remember this as well as I, Jeremiyah Love’s style not only bears similarities to Bush, but there’s a vibe that public who knew Bush’s USC game are hoping Love has the leading role in “Reggie Bush II: This Time It’s for Real.”
Considered the top skill-player in this draft class, Love is a versatile big-play threat with tremendous athletic ability for his size. If you could mix a lot of the stylistic elements of Bush and Alvin Kamara and blend their frames, you’d get a player like Love.
Bush was in his sixth NFL season before he had a 1,000-yard rushing performance. Before that, his best had been 581 yards. Bush ended up with two 1,00-yard rushing seasons and four years with more than 1,000 total yards from scrimmage.
The Giants would be expecting more than that if they took Love at No. 5.
Waldman gave Love an overall grade of 89.3, just shy of the 90.0 required to be in the “franchise” tier. Ashton Jeanty, taken No. 6 by the Las Vegas Raiders last year, is the only back since 2023 with a higher grade from Waldman. He had a 92.9. Bijan Robinson had an 89.9, and Jahmyr Gibbs an 86.8.
Waldman also says Love is “a dynamic runner who does most of what you want from a feature back. He’s not far from doing it all once he cleans up some blocking and decision-making choices.”
Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan and CBS Sports gave Love an 85.0 grade in his newly-released draft guuide. Like Waldman, Hunt has Love a rung below the elite “All-Pro” tier.
He writes:
Strengths:
- Explosiveness in virtually every aspect of his game with the
home run hitting speed that can legit score from anywhere.- Terrific acceleration through contact, almost as if he’s picking
up speed as he runs through every defender. Really is a
tough back to bring down, as he generates so much power
as a runner. Solid receiver and capable in pass protection.- Works well inside and outside, able to navigate within the
interior run game, while having the top-tier lateral quickness
and agility to bounce outside & get the corner.Areas of Improvement:
- In a way, he does take on too much contact and will need to
be a bit more judicious in when/where to be the hammer.- Pass pro contact and effort is where you’d want it to be,
especially for a college back. Where he has to improve is
from a recognition perspective, as he can be a bit late in
getting across the formation in a blitz pickup situation.
Will Giants GM Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh “agree to agree” to select Love? If he does, will Love meet the high expectations? Your thoughts, Giants fans?
