Jeremiyah Love
Getty
"League intel" suggests the New York Giants will select a player described as "instant offense" in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL draft.
Many around the NFL are already convinced who John Harbaugh wants to make his first draft pick as head coach of the New York Giants. A player who promises “instant offense” as a rookie.
Harbaugh won’t hesitate to take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the fifth-overall pick because “league intel suggests the Giants are one of the most likely teams to take Love in the top 10 (along with the Commanders and Chiefs, or possibly a team like the Rams in a trade up),” according to The Ringer’s Todd McShay.
The latter’s reference to “league intel” isn’t the first time the inside word has indicated the Giants’ interest in drafting Love is real. While more than a few find it hard to believe the franchise will burn first-round capital on a running back again, one analyst thinks the Giants should “run to the podium” if Love is still on the board at No. 5.
Giants Urged to ‘Run to the Podium’ for Jeremiyah Love
Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky is clear about what the Giants should do if the prospective best back in this class is available when they make their first pick. Orlovsky told ESPN’s Get Up the Giants can simply “run to the podium if I was the Giants and he’s still there.”
Orlovsky continued, “run to the podium because we have to stop saying Jeremiyah Love, running back. Jeremiyah Love, instant offense. Weapon. Football player. He’s a guy that you’re going to hand it to, probably, 25o times and throw it to 80 times his rookie season.”
Get Up
“We have to stop saying Jeremiyah Love ‘running back.’ Jeremiyah Love instant offense. Weapon. Football player.”
—@danorlovsky7 on Love’s NFL Draft stock 🍿
The numbers Orlovsky predicts have eery similarities to what Saquon Barkley did the last time the Giants used a top-five pick on a running back. Barkley took the pros by storm by rushing 261 times for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with catching 91 passes for 721 yards and four scores, en route to being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Barkley’s rookie stats confounded those who believed the Giants had erred by wasting prime draft capital on a position out of fashion at the time. Some of today’s observers share a similar view, but certain changes in the landscape, for both the Giants and the broader sport, make targeting Love a smart move by Harbaugh.
History Can’t Influence John Harbaugh’s Draft Strategy
The Giants being serious about drafting a running back in the first round needn’t be a stretch. Not when the team was credited with taking a long look at signing a Super Bowl MVP at the position during free agency.
Harbaugh will ultimately make the call, but Dan Schneier of CBS Sports still isn’t convinced the former Baltimore Ravens head coach will focus on the backfield. Schneier pointed out “we just don’t have any track record of Harbaugh drafting top 5 to go on. With that said, my gut feel is he’s not going to burn that kind of draft capital on a skill player (WR included). Just a feel thing for me. I don’t see it.”
Dan Schneier
Re: if Giants will actually take Love/RB at 5, we just don’t have any track record of Harbaugh drafting top 5 to go on. With that said, my gut feel is he’s not going to burn that kind of draft capital on a skill player (WR included). Just a feel thing for me. I don’t see it.
It’s a valid argument, but there’s an equally compelling case for why the Giants might want to make amends for the way things ended with Barkley. General manager Joe Schoen wouldn’t pay up and let Barkley join NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, and he promptly rushed for over 2000 yards and won a Super Bowl.
Barkley’s dominant 2024 campaign signalled a return to relevance for marquee running backs. So did Kenneth Walker III being named MVP after helping the Seattle Seahawks lift the Lombardi Trophy last season.
Harbaugh and the Giants can’t ignore the value of putting a true playmaker in the running game alongside mobile second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. Harbaugh saw what a similar pairing can do after he combined Lamar Jackson with two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry in Baltimore.
Turning to a premium back may be more appealing to Harbaugh than relying on a committee. Even thought the Giants already have two talented young backs on the roster.
The presence of Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo may make drafting a running back seem like a luxury, but as the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy explained, “What you think of returning starters/draft picks, or what Joe Schoen thinks, or what Brian Daboll thought no longer matters nearly as much as it did. If John Harbaugh wants Jeremiyah Love because he is HOF talent, he is going to get Love.#Giants.”
This is the key point.
What you think of returning starters/draft picks, or what Joe Schoen thinks, or what Brian Daboll thought no longer matters nearly as much as it did.
If John Harbaugh wants Jeremiyah Love because he is HOF talent, he is going to get Love. #Giants https://t.co/UNLbbqjeJc
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) March 23, 2026
This is the best argument of all for the Giants taking Love. Harbaugh has the last word on personnel matters, so he doesn’t need to hesitate about going in different directions at key positions.
Pairing Love’s versatility, breakaway threat and three-down workhorse traits with stellar wide receiver Malik Nabers, once he’s fully healthy, may be too tempting for Harbaugh to ignore.
Especially when that one-two punch would immediately make Dart a better quarterback.