Giants' John Harbaugh seems to be a big Jeremiyah Love fan amid draft rumors

A report from last week shared that "league intel suggests the" New York Giants could make Notre Dame Fighting Irish star running back Jeremiyah Love the fifth overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on the night of April 23. 

While speaking with reporters on Monday, recently hired Giants head coach John Harbaugh declined to give a significant hint regarding the club's draft plans. However, Harbaugh also sounded like a coach who may want to work with Love later this spring. 

John Harbaugh knows that Jeremiyah Love is "very" good

"I’d probably put very, very good player," Harbaugh said about Love, per Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. "Put a couple verys in front of that, maybe a couple more. He’s really good." 

Specifically, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic has referred to Love as the top overall prospect in this year's draft class and as "college football’s most consistent and explosive playmaker last season." That said, whether or not a Giants team coming off a 4-13 campaign should spend such a high-value draft asset on a running back rather than on somebody who features at a so-called "premium position" has become a hotly debated topic on local sports-talk programs. 

Then again, it's also possible that Love won't fall to the Giants. For a mock draft shared on Monday, ESPN's Matt Miller predicted that the Tennessee Titans would select Love with the draft's fourth pick.

John Harbaugh hints that "business" decisions are related to more than just money

The Giants made running back Saquon Barkley the second pick of the 2018 draft, but they chose not to sign him to a long-term contract on multiple occasions before they let him reach free agency in March 2024. A fear among some Giants fans is that history could repeat itself if the club drafts Love, but Harbaugh seems to view the situation differently. 

"We are a football business," Harbaugh added during his comments. "That’s what we do. And, you know, we’re trying to make our fans happy. We want to win games. And to do that, we’ve got to build the very best team we can. So you build the best team you can with the best players you can get. You know, and you put them out there, and you let them play. So that’s where it starts." 

Some think the Giants would select Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs over Love at pick No. 5. For what it's worth, Miller linked Downs with the Giants on Monday.