ESPN analysts slam Cardinals’ decision to draft Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall

On Thursday, the Arizona Cardinals selected former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with one of the 2026 NFL Draft’s premium picks at No. 3 overall. But not everyone is in love with their decision.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Dominique Foxworth couldn’t hold back their criticism on Friday’s edition of Get Up. There’s a lot to like about Love, but to the two analysts, the fit and timing of the selection left them with more questions than answers.

“You’ve gotta make me be the bad guy. Awesome player, terrible pick. It doesn’t make sense to take a running back unless you’re — I mean, if the Rams had had the third pick. They’re ready to go. But the reason it doesn’t make sense is financial,” Graziano opined. “There is a salary cap in the NFL. The rookie contracts are all slotted. The third pick is going to get the same contract, no matter what position he plays.

“In this case, it’s $52.5 million over four years, $13.1 million a year. That is almost as much money per year as Jonathan Taylor makes from the Indianapolis Colts. Look, one pick later, the Titans take Carnell Tate, wide receiver. His annual salary is going to be roughly a little bit less than what Khalil Shakir makes from the Buffalo Bills. What you have there is value. He can outplay his rookie contract.

“Jeremiyah Love really can’t. If he plays at the top level, he’s already getting paid like a top running back, so you’re going to have to find some kind of bargain somewhere else as you build your roster out.”

Graziano finished his point with a harsh reality check for the Cardinals.

“That’s why a team like Arizona, sitting at three with maybe the three best teams in the league last year in their division, is not ready to win right now,” he added. “It’s not the right pick for them. But I always say the teams that pick in the top five every year are not there because they’re good at it.”

‘The reason to criticize this is because they don’t have a good offensive line’

While Foxworth certainly didn’t disagree, he gave the Cardinals the slight benefit of the doubt. He admitted, though, it’s not the way he would build a team.

“I think, when it comes down to the reason why I think it wasn’t a good choice, was not because you’re paying him a lot of money. Like, I don’t mind paying a running back a lot of money, if we are in a situation where we’re prepared to get the most out of that running back,” he elaborated.

“I think the reason to be critical of this choice is not because he’s going to be one of the top running backs paid, but the reason to criticize this is because they don’t have a good offensive line. They don’t have a quarterback. Normally, you need these things in order for your running back, for you to get the value out of this pick.”

Alas, you can always build out the offensive line and find a quarterback later after securing Love. But the ESPN analyst doesn’t exactly have confidence in Arizona to do that.

“Now, in their meager defense, I would say that it doesn’t matter the order that you put the ingredients into the bowl. So, if they go and get a quarterback next year, and they build an o-line that works this season and through it the next season, then it all comes to fruition and it’s fine,” Foxworth added.

“However, you’ve wasted a year of a position that is not very durable at a very high price. So, it’s a risky maneuver. I don’t like it as a choice. I wouldn’t have done it, but I have to assume that they have some sort of plan, and drafting good players is the most important thing you can do in a draft. But there were other good players out there which would have been nice.”

Regardless, Love is a supremely talented player, and the Cardinals are a better team than they were going into the 2026 NFL Draft already. Whether it matters or not remains to be seen, and if drafting a running back at No. 3 overall was the right decision for the long-term future of their franchise.