Cardinals' Mike LaFleur sends clear message to critics of Jeremiyah Love draft pick

Numerous members of the NFL community strongly criticized a rebuilding Arizona Cardinals team for making Notre Dame Fighting Irish star running back Jeremiyah Love the third overall pick of the 2026 draft.

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, first-year Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur sent quite a strong message to those who still think his team made a massive mistake this past spring. 

Jeremiyah Love has already "been awesome" with Cardinals' locker room

"Jeremiyah, what a mature young man," LaFleur said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "He’s been awesome with the locker room. He is himself, but he also has some awareness that he’s a rookie, in terms of, 'I’m gonna be a rookie in there, and I’m gonna lean on these guys that have done it in the league.'" 

Before the opening night of the draft, a confident Love insisted that he was the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 class. While few have questioned what Love could offer a club as an offensive weapon, it's widely thought that a team seemingly not all that close to competing for much of note shouldn't spend a top-tier draft asset on any ball-carrier. 

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Cardinals as the overall betting favorites at +250 odds to finish the upcoming season with the fewest wins in the league. 

Jeremiyah Love's parents impressed Mike LaFleur

Those running the Cardinals clearly hope that Love can help improve the team's culture and also be part of an eventual turnaround. It sounds like LaFleur has been impressed with the way Love handles his business on gamedays and also off the football field. 

"When I got a chance to meet his parents, and even before I met the parents, just seeing it Saturdays watching 'College GameDay' and the tidbits they had, you kind of knew right there, what a foundation this guy — how lucky to have the situation he had growing up. Great for him to be able to absorb that, soak that in and then be his own man," LaFleur added about Love.

Of course, none of this will matter if the Cardinals fail to find a long-term answer at quarterback over the next few years. Then again, perhaps 2026 third-round draft pick Carson Beck will prove to be that answer for Arizona.