Jeremiyah Love has heightened expectations as a rookie in the NFL. Not only does he carry with him the lofty expectations associated with being a No. 3 overall pick in the draft, but as a running back, Love has to be that much better because of positional value.
The Arizona Cardinals' decision to invest in a running back as a focal point of their rebuild has raised questions before he's even had the opportunity to play a regular-season game. Love has only seen 11 carries total in preseason, unfortunately suffering a high ankle sprain in their lone preseason win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Love looked as advertised in limited action, turning that into 58 rushing yards at an efficient 5.3 YPC. Most importantly, he passed the eye test in terms of having that "it factor" required to justify such a steep draft investment at a relatively replaceable running back position.
The 21-year-old out of Notre Dame already has the talent to make an immediate impact as Arizona's RB1 ahead of offseason signing Tyler Allgeier. He could realistically even be in the conversation amongst the NFL's elite running backs sooner rather than later.
Projecting Jeremiyah Love's rookie season
Here are our projections for Love's rookie season with the Cardinals:
- Rushing yards: 825
- Rushing touchdowns: 6
- Receptions: 42
- Receiving yards: 350
- Receiving touchdowns: 2
Jeremiyah Love's 2026 outlook in Arizona
When predicting Love's rookie season numbers, the hesitation or question mark doesn't stem from the talent, but rather the opportunity. Allgeier may have been listed as the RB1 on Arizona's initial preseason depth chart, but there would be riots in The Valley if the Cardinals won three games only to spend a top three pick on what turned out to be a backup running back.
But with that starting opportunity comes the possibility that Allgeier gets demoted back to one of the best backup running backs in the league, a role that he seemingly wanted to escape in Atlanta behind Bijan Robinson.
Still, the Cardinals are well aware that they are a rebuilding team coming off that long three-win season. They haven't made significant enough offseason moves for that not to be the case in 2026, with an especially hard path to the postseason as a team stuck in the NFC West.
In general, running back is one of the more plug-and-play positions for players transitioning from college to the NFL. While that will continue to be the case with Love, the Cardinals have a unique franchise-altering talent at the position and will likely manage his reps accordingly. They need to preserve Love for when games are far more meaningful, hopefully as soon as 2027 should this team land a quarterback with a top pick in the draft.
Not to mention, the Cardinals' depth gives them all the more reason to feel comfortable in that decision, with reliable veteran James Conner currently listed as the RB3 after taking a pay cut to stay in Arizona.
Fortunately, Love is progressing well in his recovery from the ankle sprain, trending upwards to be able to play in the Cardinals' Week 1 season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on September 13.
That said, they had every reason to put a limit on Love's touches this season, and the fact that he's coming back from injury could potentially lead to a restriction as they gradually bring along their future offensive star.
Say what you will about Arizona's decision to take a running back so high with glaring needs at more important positions, but there's no denying Love's talent. Even if Love doesn't get the same volume as elite running backs around the league to start his career, he has all the talent in the world to keep himself in the conversation.
The Cardinals drafted the best available prospect this offseason, and that will be apparent whether Love is immediately utilized as a bell cow in the desert or not.
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