The Arizona Cardinals are expected to go one of two ways in the first round of the NFL draft. They are expected to either draft a pass rusher or a tackle. However, in the last week, we have heard two dialed-in reporters/analysts (Todd McShay and Peter Schrager) mention Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love as a possibility for the Cardinals.
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Love might be the best player in this draft, but he doesn't make a ton of sense for the Cardinals. They bought back James Conner and then signed Tyler Allgeier to a two-year contract in free agency. Adding Love would mean one of the trio of Conner, Allgeier or Love would end up being underutilized.
That said, there is a realistic way in which the Cardinals could end up with Love with the third overall pick.
The Cardinals could end up drafting Jeremiyah Love, but how?
We have to piece a few things together.
Todd McShay has a believable report that the Cardinals want to draft a tackle, but there isn't a tackle worth the third overall pick. They want to trade back to get one, much like they did in 2023 when they had the third pick, traded back to No. 12 and back up to No. 6 to select left tackle Paris Johnson.
McShay also said there is one voice in the building that is pushing for Love. Schrager noted in his new mock draft that Love is a wild card for the third pick.
Based on those puzzle pieces, two things would need to happen.
- The first thing that would have to happen is not being able to find a trade partner to move back, eliminating tackle as an option because it doesn't match their draft board.
- With no tackle to consider, the next option would be a pass rusher. The Cardinals will definitely have the opportunity to select with David Bailey or Arvell Reese. But what if they only really like one of those two and the New York Jets take the one they like more? It is quite possible that Bailey is their favorite pass rusher because he has both the on-field production and the prototypical physical traits, while Reese has elite athleticism, but might end up being a versatile off-ball linebacker, which isn't necessarily worth the third overall pick. So if the Jets take Bailey and the Cardinals don't like Reese, that leads us to Love.
So if the Cardinals can't trade back to get a tackle and they can't get the pass rusher they want, Love might be the best option.
After all, we hear how the Cardinals want to stick to their board. If that is something they truly do and believe Love is one of the best players in the class, then they might just have to draft him and figure out the details later.
Ultimately, Love might be option three or four. But there is at least a real chance it could happen.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: 2026 NFL draft: How the Arizona Cardinals could draft Jeremiyah Love