Analyzing reasons why the Saints should or should not select Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love in first round of the 2026 NFL Draft
The Saints need more talent on offense, but does the value make sense with the ninth pick?
The future of the running back position for the New Orleans Saints is an intriguing one. Alvin Kamara remains in the mix as a veteran, but he played in just eleven games last season due to injury.
Looking ahead, is there a scenario where the Saints draft his replacement in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft? There are pros and cons to that scenario when discussing Notre Dame superstar running back Jeremiyah Love as a potential selection for the black and gold.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love
New Orleans is sure to have a flurry of options when they pick at ninth overall in this year’s draft. The roster has clear needs, including another impactful pass rusher, a clear WR2, offensive guard help, as well as a top-flight cornerback.
While all of those needs must be addressed at some point in the future, this particular rookie class may not give them an opportunity to feel great about addressing one of them with their first selection. Instead, it may make more sense to add a dynamic, blue-chip-level player as an all-around weapon for their offense’s future.
That’s where Love enters the conversation, and plenty of folks around the industry have been sending him to New Orleans in mock drafts recently.
The case for drafting Jeremiyah Love
“In a draft that lacks at the premium positions, drafting best player available is the approach most NFL teams should focus on this April. Without baking in positional value, Jeremiyah Love is one of the premier players in this class. In a lot of ways, his game is, funny enough, very similar to Alvin Kamara. The different is that Love possesses the long speed to turn a single into double, a double into a triple, and a triple into a home run.
As a pass receiver, Love has some big time ability out of the backfield, while also being one of the better pass blockers in the running back class. At 6-0 and 214 pounds, Love is an impressive blend of power and dynamic ability. In this class that lacks superstar potential, Love should be considered right near the top.” — Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports
The case against drafting Jeremiyah Love
“The Saints have a really interesting decision ahead of them at eighth overall. Do they prioritize maximizing their second-year quarterback Tyler Shough or continue building a defense that needs youth? The smart move is to take a player who will make an impact, but general manager Mickey Loomis should proceed with caution taking Jeremiyah Love that high.
It doesn’t have a ton to do with Love’s ability as a player, but rather two other factors: Positional value and depth issues at wide receiver. Chris Olave is your only top-three caliber wide receiver right now, and he’s a potential concussion away from serious discussions about retirement. There are multiple players at the top of the NFL Draft who are both worthy of selection, but also at a premium position. Considering Love is at a similar grade, it would be a mistake to go the route of running back when you don’t have enough adequate pass catchers on the outside, which is a premium position.”
— Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports
All things considered in this draft class, I tend to lean towards the case “for” taking Love with the ninth pick for New Orleans. This is a pool of prospects that doesn’t have many elite type of talents at the top. I simply think he will be the best available player on the board by the time they pick.
With a top ten selection, I think you have to first think of the player you’re getting in a vacuum, rather than the need at the position or overall positional value. For the Saints, they’re going to focus on manufacturing as much support for Tyler Shough as possible for 2026 and potentially beyond. Love simply does not have many questions marks around his profile entering the NFL.
Both cases make plenty of sense, though, so the Saints won’t have an easy decision to make if the electric RB is on the board by the time they come onto the clock.
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