The Cardinals selected Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love for one reason, and one reason only: to dominate the ground game. Selecting a running back in the first round always comes with risk, let alone drafting one with the No. 3 overall pick, but general manager Monti Ossenfort believes he knows what he’s doing.
In the long run, this pick should pan out very nicely for the Cards, who look to improve from the three-win season that they endured in 2025, one that enabled them the opportunity to draft Love to begin with.
Coming off a Heisman campaign with the Fighting Irish, Love tallied over 1,300 rushing yards while finding the endzone via the ground 18 times. It was not a question on if he would go top-ten, but a matter of who would be willing to take the chance on him in the top-five.
However, there are a couple of factors we believe could hurt his production in his rookie season coming up in September.
The first is the fact that Arizona has an incredibly crowded running back room, with James Conner coming back from injury and Tyler Allgeier coming over from Atlanta on a two-year deal. This immediately indicates that getting reps will be a competitive process, especially those that come within the ten-yard line.
MORE: Cardinals GM has a funny response when asked about Carson Beck starting immediately
MORE: Here's what an ideal contract extension for Jacoby Brissett would (and should) look like for the Cardinals
MORE: ESPN predicts when Cardinals fans can expect to see Carson Beck under center
Second, Arizona will, in all likelihood, be a pass-first offense, with Jacoby Brissett not being afraid to sling it downfield, putting that on display in all 12 games of last season. With three pass catchers in Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Love will have his opportunities, but nothing will be a given in this new offensive scheme ran by Mike LaFleur.
