Jeremiyah Love's performance at the NFL Combine seemingly cemented his status as the top non-quarterback in this spring's draft. While he's spent the last month or so moving up the mock charts, a couple of trades earlier this week indicate the Notre Dame football star has most teams thinking he'll go very, very early.
The first trade indirectly involving Love came when the Kansas City Chiefs signed former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III. Drafting unusually early this spring, the Chiefs were considered a possible Love landing spot at No. 9, but they just took themselves out of the running.
Just a few hours later, the Notre Dame star watched as the New Orleans Saints signed Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. That's significant because the Saints at No. 8 were considered another possible team looking to draft Jeremiyah Love.
The money both the Chiefs and Saints spent on the veteran running backs is more than they would have had to pay Love in his rookie deal. That means these moves are more about believing the Irish running back won't be around in the draft when their turn comes, rather than believing Walker and Etienne are better fits.
Two NFL teams appear to be out of the Jeremiyah Love sweepstakes as the Notre Dame star moves up the rankings
Some analysts now believe Love could go as high as No. 4 to the Tennessee Titans. The team, complete with a star-studded coaching staff in an attempted turnaround, also just signed a big offensive weapon in Wan'Dale Robinson. They might beef up the offense even more at running back.
If the Titans don't select Love, there are mock drafts that see the Notre Dame football star going No. 5 to the New York Giants. What is becoming very clear is that Jeremiyah Love won't be around long on the 2026 NFL Draft's first day.