NFL Draft Scouting Notebook: Jeremiyah Love
Reviewing one of the top playmakers in the 2026 NFL Draft
Within the last week, I watched film on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The three games of his that I studied were against Texas A&M, USC, and Pittsburgh.
Let’s go over the strengths and weaknesses of Love’s game.
Strengths
Love is an ultra-talented, all-around running back. He can run, catch, and pass protect.
Starting as a runner, Love runs with incredible control, patience, and vision, allowing blocks to develop. His ability to allow blocks to develop was evident on duo runs downhill, where he allowed his offensive linemen to climb up to the second level. Love can read blocks well on the fly. He makes good decisions as a runner. He has the ability to identify space. His active vision with the ball allows him to adjust his run angles when needed.
After he diagnoses the blocks out in front of him, Love can instantly cut and has tremendous short-area burst after getting north and south. He can cut upfield without losing any speed. He has great acceleration. On explosive plays, Love has the long speed to finish in the end zone.
Love can glide through congested spaces. He has exceptional elusiveness in short areas. He can quickly stop and throw on the brakes. Love moves laterally with plenty of quickness.
One of my favorite parts of Love’s game is his ability to read the flow of pursuing defenders. He will set them up and make them miss. He loves to spin and is efficient in doing so.
Love runs with terrific balance. He can gain yards after contact. When he needs to get physical and lower his shoulder to finish a run, he is more than willing to do so. When Love approaches contact, he knows to tighten up with his ball security. Love was successful on short-yardage runs. He displayed a natural feel to just quickly get upfield and reach the line to gain.
Out of the backfield, Love is a more than reliable pass-catcher. He consistently extends his hands and keeps his eyes on the football. After he hauls it in, he begins to turn upfield.
Love was very impressive as a pass protector. He always scans and knows when to release. As a pass blocker, Love can help chip on the edge or pick up in a one-on-one. In one-on-ones, Love gains positional leverage, sets his base, and is willing to be physical with his hands or by lowering his shoulder. Lastly, I also loved his physicality as a lead blocker on designed quarterback runs.
Weaknesses
There were very few weaknesses that I saw in Love’s game. One fair critique is that there were a select few instances where he could have been a bit more decisive as a runner and just taken what was there.
Also, in the game against Texas A&M, there were three plays where a running lane inside was available, and he bypassed, bouncing to the outside. None of those runs he took outside amounted to much. He probably would have been better off just running downhill.
Final Thoughts
Love is in the midst of a sensational, Heisman-caliber season. He has Notre Dame a win away from being in the College Football Playoff for the second-consecutive year.
Love is a creative runner with the vision, burst, quickness, and speed to be a difference-maker in the NFL. Add his consistent receiving ability and willingness as a pass blocker, and he is a complete running back prospect. Love projects to be one of the top overall players in this upcoming draft and a potential top-10 pick.