Now that the 2025 NFL Draft is over, it’s officially time to start looking at the 2026 cyle. “Way too early” Mock Drafts have already started getting released and it should surprise no one at all that one prominent Notre Dame football star is expected to go in the first round.
There are many, many things that can change between Now and next April of course. There was a time when Benjamin Morrison was expected to go in the first round as this year. Until he suffered his hip injury. But for now, Jeremiyah Love would end the Fighting Irish’s short first-round drought.
Jeremiyah Love lands in 2026 NFL Draft first round
Brad Crawford of 247Sports was one of the first analysts to get out his “way too early” mock for next year and the insider believes the Notre Dame football star is currently projected to be selected with the No. 16 overall pick by the Houston Texans.
That would certainly be an interesting landing spot for the man who is also already one of the front runners to win the Heisman Trophy. One would have to think that if he does take home that hardware he might be able to go even earlier.
Crawford wrote about how analysts believe that Love could turn into a more complete player in 2025:
“One of the game's most powerful ballcarriers, Love galloped his way to five 100-yard games as a sophomore and was one of the options in Notre Dame's run-heavy backfield, which included quarterback Riley Leonard. Notre Dame's Sugar Bowl win over Georgia marked the first time all season he failed to reach the end zone as the team's leader in touchdowns (17). We're expecting Love to transform into more of a high-volume back this fall prior to his expected entry into the NFL.”
There’s very little doubt that should Love stay healthy, he could have a big season. In fact, the most fluid part of this kind of mock draft is that it’s impossible to know who will pick where. Crawford is expecting the Texans to miss the playoffs in order to have that No. 16 pick. They could end up drafting higher or lower than that depending on how the 2025 season plays out.
It’s not at all unlikely that Jeremiyah Love will be a first round pick out of the Notre Dame football program, no matter who ends up selecting him.