Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jeremiyah Love RB Notre Dame |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #4 ROLE: Work-Horse Back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/04/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.36 seconds (96%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #4 | |
| ROLE: Work-Horse Back | |
| Last Updated: 03/04/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.36 seconds (96%*) | |
| Overall Rating: | 91.3 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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74% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Rushing: |
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92% |
| Break Tackles: |
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92% |
| Receiving/Hands: |
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74% |
| Pass Blocking: |
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53% |
| Run Blocking: |
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77% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
1st - Top 5
Overall Rank:
#2
Position rank:
#1 (RB)
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| College Games: 40 College Snaps: 1019 | ||
ESPN RATING: 84/100
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247 RATING: 95/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson - Texas |
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77% |
| TreVeyon Henderson - Ohio State |
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61% |
| Breece Hall - Iowa State |
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52% |
Drafted: ROUND: 1 - Pick Number: 3 (ARI)
Draft Profile: Bio
Jeremiyah Love came to Notre Dame from Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, where he was the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year after rushing for 1,291 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior. He won a state championship in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore with a time of 10.76 seconds. Ranked the nation's fourth-best running back by Rivals, Love chose Notre Dame over Texas A&M, Michigan, Alabama, and Oregon.As a freshman in 2023 behind Audric Estime, Love put up 385 yards on 71 carries. The 2024 season was his arrival: 1,125 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns, a school-record 13 consecutive games with a rushing score, and a CFP-record 98-yard touchdown against Indiana. He helped carry Notre Dame to the national championship game before falling to Ohio State.
His 2025 campaign was the best by a Notre Dame back in recent memory. Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries while adding 27 catches for 280 yards and three scores. He broke Jerome Bettis's program record for total touchdowns in a season with 21 and became the first player in school history with two 90-yard rushing touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award, earned unanimous All-American honors, and finished third in Heisman voting.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Home run speed is verified and shows up every week; he can score from anywhere on the field.
- Outstanding contact balance for his speed profile, absorbing hits and keeping his legs moving through traffic.
- Soft hands and natural ball-tracking ability make him a real weapon in the passing game on checkdowns and screens.
- Patient runner with good vision who lets zone blocks develop before hitting the crease with burst.
- Creative with his tools in the open field, including a sharp spin move and decisive jump cuts.
- Runs with more power than his frame suggests, consistently falling forward and finishing inside the tackles.
- Ball security is outstanding: one fumble with zero lost across 433 career carries and 63 receptions.
- Showed real growth in pass protection during 2025, willing to step up and take on blitzers.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Pass protection technique is still a work in progress; gets walked back against power rushers too often.
- Route tree is limited when split out wide, relying on straight-line concepts more than nuanced breaks.
- Frame at 212 pounds raises fair questions about handling 20-plus touches per game over a full NFL season.
- Habit of attempting highlight-reel hurdles puts him in vulnerable positions and invites unnecessary contact.
- Can lock onto his initial landmark and miss cutback lanes, particularly on gap and power concepts.
Scouting Report: Summary
Love is the kind of running back that the league has started investing in again at the top of the draft. He fits the profile teams want in 2026: a back who never has to leave the field because he can run between the tackles, catch the ball out of the backfield, and contribute enough in protection to stay out there on third downs. The speed is not a workout number that disappears on Saturdays. It shows up on tape every week, and it showed up in Indianapolis with a 4.36 at the combine that matched Jahmyr Gibbs despite Love carrying more weight.Zone concepts are where he is most dangerous. His patience behind the line, combined with the burst to hit a hole the moment it opens, makes him a natural fit in outside and wide zone schemes. He also runs with enough power inside that you do not have to pull him in short yardage. The receiving ability adds another dimension: 63 career catches and natural hands mean coordinators can motion him out or line him up in the slot to create matchup problems.
The pass protection needs continued work. He improved during 2025, but NFL blitz packages will test him further, and that is the one area where a coaching staff cannot fully trust him yet. The weight is a fair concern at 212 pounds over a 17-game season. What you are getting, though, is a back with legitimate home run ability, three-down versatility, and a production record that backs it up: two straight seasons above 1,100 yards, a touchdown roughly every nine touches, and the kind of explosive-play threat that changes how defenses prepare.
Jeremiyah Love percentiles vs other Running Backs (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Jeremiyah Love (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
4.2
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
1.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.