Irish in the NFL: Julian Love has shown promise this preseason

Former Notre Dame corner Julian Love is looking like a good fit for the New York Giants and NFL in general.

Some players have made more noise than others in preseason — and that’s especially true for the New York Giants. Between the performance of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and surprise productivity of former Notre Dame receiver T.J. Jones, there has been plenty to talk about. As a result, former Irish corner Julian Love has flown under the radar.

That’s not a bad thing.

As a corner, ideally you don’t want to hear your named called a whole lot unless you are intercepting passes consistently. Love has not gotten much run on broadcasts or in print, yet he has played considerable minutes for the New York Giants this preseason. He hasn’t picked off any passes, but he’s been getting his job done, being where he needs to be, and fitting in.

Simply put — Julian Love looks the part.

That’s half the battle for young guys trying to make rosters. Not that Love’s roster spot has been in real jeopardy, but 4th-round picks aren’t exactly shoo-ins for NFL teams. Love still had to go out and show he could keep pace at the next level. I believe he has done that.

For starters, we haven’t seen him get burned or end up on the wrong end of a highlight. That’s always good. He’s getting a lot of time against the opponent’s third, fourth and slot receivers — just as we expected. In today’s NFL, that means you are basically a starter as a corner.

His stats aren’t flashy, but they signify adequate production. He has logged six total tackles and knocked down two passes in so far through three preseason games.

Nobody ever said Julian Love was going to step into the NFL and be a dominant shutdown corner. He has, however, always shown the potential to be a consistent, reliable performer at the NFL level. We haven’t seen anything so far in preseason that changes any of that.

He’s shown the promise of a guy who should have a long and productive NFL career.