Jeremiyah Love
Getty
Jeremiyah Love of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With only four wins in their 10 games, there has been plenty going wrong for the Dallas Cowboys this season. But the mediocre ground attack has to be high on the list. The Cowboys have the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher in 2021 second-round draft pick Javonte Williams with 809 yards, but not much else.
Their second-leading running back, Miles Sanders — who signed a one-year, $1.4 million free-agent contract this year after he was released by the Carolina Panthers — has been on injured reserve since October 10 and will not return this season, leaving him stuck at 117 yards.
Quarterback Dak Prescott has also run for 117 yards heading into the Cowboys’ Week 12 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. No other Dallas runner has more than 65.
New ESPN Prediction Holds Answer
While there may not be much the Cowboys can do to fix the situation this season with the trade deadline already passed, they will need to do something before next season because Williams is playing on an expiring contract and can enter unrestricted free agency where he is likely to garner a substantial rate that is over the $3 million he is collecting this season from the Cowboys.
What then for the Cowboys’ running game?
On Wednesday, NFL draft expert Matt Miller of ESPN published his latest 2026 mock draft, and in it, he proposes a solution for Dallas’ rushing problem. With the No. 13 pick in the first round, according to Miller, the Cowboys will select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
2 Straight 1,100-Yard Seasons for Love
After rushing for 1,125 yards on 163 carries over 16 games for the Fighting Irish last season, Love has pushed his production to an even higher level this time around. With just 10 games in the books and two to go on the regular season schedule for the Fighting Irish, Love has already carried 177 times for 1,135 yards.
The 6-foot, 214-pound 20-year-old speedster who starred at Christian Brothers College High in St. Louis, has risen to become the top running back prospect in the upcoming draft and is now considered a serious Heisman Trophy candidate.
Scouting Report Raves for Notre Dame Back
A scouting report by NFL Draft Buzz raves about Love’s “uncanny contact balance for a speed merchant,” his “dazzling open-field creativity,” and calls the Notre Dame star a “game-breaker who threatens to house it on every touch — turning routine plays into scoring opportunities with elite acceleration and sustainable top-end speed.”
Miller calls Love “a true home run threat” and “one of the three best players in the class and an RB prospect on par with Bijan Robinson or Saquon Barkley.”
“Love would be a dream come true for the Cowboys,” Miller adds in his mock draft report. “His elite patience and burst are ideal for a zone rushing scheme, plus he has the all-around ability to boost the Cowboys’ loaded passing attack.”
However, Miller also admits that “it’s unlikely that Love will still be available at this pick come April, but we’ve seen teams pass on elite running backs because of positional value.”
Love was also a standout on his high school track team, winning the Missouri Class 5 100-meter dash state title, running the distance in 10.76 seconds.