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Jeremiyah Love Makes History, Selected Third Overall by Arizona Cardinals
Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jeremiyah Love Makes History, Selected Third Overall by Arizona Cardinals

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski  |  Last updated Apr 23, 2026 9:18 PM ET
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Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love officially has his new home as he's headed to the desert.

The Arizona Cardinals made a bit a of a surprise move and certainly a splash as it selected the Heisman Trophy finalist running back with the third overall pick in Thursday's First Round of the NFL draft.

Love going third overall marks a historical occurance for Notre Dame in regards to the draft for multiple reasons.

You have to go back to 1993 to see the last time a Notre Dame player was taken that high, as that year quarterback Rick Mirer went second to the Seattle Seahawks.

That year was also the last time a Notre Dame running back went in the top 10, as Jerome Bettis was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the 10th overall selection.

Love becomes just the third former Notre Dame players to be drafted by the Cardinals since the team moved west to Arizona. He joins former star Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd (12th overall in 2012) and former tight end Troy Niklas (52nd overall in 2014).

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway

First off, good for Jeremiyah Love on being drafted where he is.

The guaranteed money that comes with being the third overall selection in the NFL draft is literally lifechanging and more than enough to create generational wealth.

For a young man that made it clear he plans to take care of his family, he'll instantly be able to do so and then some.

From a football perspective, as thrilled as I am for him to hear his name called that early, and for as many good things as that means for Notre Dame, the Cardinals are a tough situation to walk into.

Arizona rushed for just 1,583 yards last season, which ranked 31st in the 32-team league.

Their pick of Love and the roughly $50 million guaranteed that he'll get speak to how much faith they have in the former Notre Dame playmaker, but this isn't a start and star situation, necessarily.

For context, that will be the most guaranteed money a running back has ever received on an NFL contract, and Love is doing it as a rookie.

In terms of explosive runs, Arizona had just eight rushes of 20 or more yards last season, so the expectation will be for Love to help change that immediately.

As the Cardinals look to rebuild an explosive offense, they landed their first true playmaker in Love.

If you needed any more proof that you play at the highest of levels at Notre Dame then Love just gave it.


This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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