{"id":239747,"date":"2026-04-21T01:25:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T01:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/239747\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T01:25:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T01:25:24","slug":"jeremiah-love-is-only-impressive-tailback-in-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/239747\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeremiah Love is only impressive tailback in 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeremiah Love is being hyped as a generational tailback.<\/p>\n

The former Notre Dame standout, who rushed for 2,882 yards in 41 games, averaged 6.7 yards per carry and scored 42 touchdowns in his three seasons, despite sharing the backfield another of the draft\u2019s upper-echelon prospects (Jadarian Price), is projected to be taken in the first half of the first round.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s talk that Love could be a top-five selection, and that teams are working to make their way up the draft to get ahead of their competition.<\/p>\n

While Love is a clean prospect, and someone likely to become a standout, why would an NFL team place more value on this unproven rookie than what they have seen from De\u2019Von Achane the past three seasons?<\/p>\n

The Love hype is driven by potential. But Achane has proven that he\u2019s one of the NFL\u2019s elites.<\/p>\n

Achane, 24, set an NFL record in his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins, averaging 7.8 yards per carry while rushing for 800 yards and eight touchdowns on 103 attempts.<\/p>\n

And that was just his opening act.<\/p>\n

In his second season his rushing and receiving total was one yard short of 1,500, and he contributed 12 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Last season Achane earned a Pro Bowl berth after carrying Miami\u2019s offense with 1,350 rushing yards and leading the team with 67 receptions, which he turned into another 488 yards and 12 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

So if Love is a generational back, what is Achane?<\/p>\n

And what (draft picks), and how much (future contract) is that worth?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s an ongoing dialogue the Dolphins\u2019 top decision-makers are having this week as talks to get a contract extension heat up.<\/p>\n

For Achane and his camp, the draft presents a pressure point because possible suitors might disappear if a deal doesn\u2019t get done before the second day of the NFL Draft. Even though this draft class is weak, a team that might attempt to poach Achane from the Dolphins could find a dance partner (a young tailback selected) they want to invest in.<\/p>\n

And if that happens Achane and his camp will have lost their leverage, and Miami might drag out the extension talks, which would likely lead to Achane sitting out the offseason program, and possibly becoming a hold-in for training camp and the exhibition season.<\/p>\n

Tailbacks have a very short window to get compensated handsomely because of the nature of that position, so time is not on Achane\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

Top 5 Prospects<\/p>\n

Notre Dame\u2019s Jeremiyah Love: He\u2019s a three-down running back with size and breakaway speed, which allows him to to be a scoring threat at any moment. His contact balance and lateral quickness leads to plenty of missed tackles.<\/p>\n

Notre Dame\u2019s Jadarian Prince: Prince is an explosive running back who has ideal short-area quickness. As the change-of-pace back for Love, he only gained 1,692 rushing yards, caught 15 passes and scored 24 touchdowns in 41 games.<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s Jonah Coleman: Coleman has a bowling ball build (5-foot-9, 225 pounds) but runs with vision, patience and contact balance. He needs work in pass protection, which might limit his third-down work.<\/p>\n

Arkansas\u2019 Mike Washington Jr.: Washington is a decisive downhill runner who has the size (6-2, 228 pounds) to wear down defenses. He had fumbling issues in college.<\/p>\n

Penn State\u2019s Kaytron Allen: Allen is a patient runner with an ideal blend of power and vision. His third-down skill set needs refinement, becoming more aware in pass protection.<\/p>\n

Best of the Rest: Nebraska\u2019s Emmett Johnson runs with power and is a solid receiver out of the backfield. Penn State\u2019s Nicolas Singleton was limited by injuries and the fact he shared the backfield with Allen. But he\u2019s an efficient runner who usually falls forward. Clemson\u2019s Adam Randall has impressive size (6-2, 235 pounds) and is a converted receiver whose pass-catching prowess boosts his value. Virginia\u2019s J\u2019Mari Taylor gained 700 yards after breaking 45 tackles in 2024. He demonstrates exceptional contact balance, and he\u2019s versatile enough to split out wide. Oklahoma\u2019s Jaydn Ott doesn\u2019t run with a lot of power and could be limited to a change-of-pace role.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one position group whose talent is underwhelming it\u2019s tailback, especially when compared to last year\u2019s crop, which was one of the best running back groups in recent history. Just about every team that wanted one took a tailback. Outside of Love, these tailbacks will likely be taken late in Day 2, and mainly Day 3.<\/p>\n

Class Grade: D-plus<\/p>\n

Teams in need: Cardinals, Titans, Commanders, Bengals, Vikings, Broncos, Seahawks and Jaguars<\/p>\n

Dolphins focus: If the Dolphins can\u2019t get an extension done with Achane it\u2019s possible that Miami\u2019s decision-akers would use the franchise tag to retain him in 2027. That\u2019s not ideal for either side, but will likely be a break-in-case-of-emergency situation. Ollie Gordon II, who gained 199 yards on 70 carries and scored four touchdowns last season, should earn a significant role now that he\u2019s no longer a rookie. Jaylen Wright started 2026 slowed by a knee injury, but eventually turned up the volume on his production, contributing 288 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 70 carries. With 11 draft picks, there\u2019s no shame in Miami adding another. But it\u2019s not a priority.<\/p>\n


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