Jeremiyah Love
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Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Just 2 years ago, the Washington Commanders used a Top 10 pick on an offensive skill player when they took LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall. It led them all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
The 2026 NFL draft might be the opportunity to repeat that move in the first round, with the Commanders sitting in a surprise spot at No. 7 overall, and the player they might need to get is Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Love turned in a bravura performance at the NFL scouting combine this week and buzz seems to be growing that if he’s available when the the Commanders are ready for their turn, he needs to be in D.C. in a backfield with Daniels.
“Jeremiyah Love would be the best running back in Washington since John Riggins,” First Round Mock’s Daniel Kelly wrote. ” … Love brings another dimension to any NFL team’s offense.”
Love, 6-foot and 212 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at the combine.
Even with pressing defensive needs, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn seemed like he might be leaning toward taking a running back.
“How does somebody impact a team in a great way?” Quinn said to ESPN’s Rich Eisen. “And sometimes that’s through running back. And we’ve seen the players over the last four or five years who have done that”
Jeremiyah Love Compared to Star RB Jahmyr Gibbs
There don’t get much better comparisons for a running back than what Love drew from NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein in his pre-draft evaluation, comparing him to Detroit Lions superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
“Three-phase running back capable of stressing defenses with big-play speed and untapped pass-catching value,” Zierlein wrote. ” … Love runs with a fierce tempo and processes the front with adequate eyes to find entry points and burst through them. Outstanding speed erases pursuit angles to the corner and helps him pull away from tacklers once he opens his gait. He’s live-legged with violent cuts in segmented bursts that can elude tacklers but slow his momentum. He’s a talented route runner and pass catcher who can work from the slot and mismatch linebackers. Love is a three-down, scheme-independent player who would benefit from a complementary back to preserve his big-play ability … workhorse mentality.”
Love put up big numbers in his final 2 seasons at Notre Dame, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns to go with 27 receptions, 280 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2025 in 12 games on the way to being named a unanimous All-American, Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist.
In just 3 seasons at Notre Dame, Love scored 42 total touchdowns.
Where Commanders Sit at Running Back Right Now
The Commanders aren’t in a great place at running back headed into 2026.
Washington’s starter entering the 2025 season, Austin Ekeler, is coming off a torn Achilles tendon. That leaves 2025 7th round pick Jacorey Croskey-Merritt, who rushed for 805 yards and led all NFL rookies with 8 rushing touchdowns.
If you’re on Love Watch, the biggest thing to pay attention to is free agency. If the Commanders take some big swings on defense — perhaps for a player like Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson — then taking an offensive player like Love in the 1st round becomes a much more likely possibility.