Jeremiyah Love landing spots in 2026 NFL Draft: Five teams that make most sense

There is no debate or doubt who is the top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Love has that title locked up.

Love led all of college football with 35 rushing touchdowns and 40 scrimmage touchdowns during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and he took a huge leap in production in 2025. He went from averaging 70.3 rushing yards per game in 2024 to 114.3 in 2025, a jump of 44 yards per game. This led Love to win the 2025 Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back and become just the sixth player in FBS history with multiple seasons averaging more than 6.5 yards per carry while amassing at least 15 rushing touchdowns. His agility via jukes and patented spin move allowed defenders to hang on to air all year long.

He enters the draft as this year’s 16th best overall prospect, according to CBS Sports’ rankings, but yours truly believes he should be ranked higher given his individual talent. Will NFL teams agree and select him in the top 10? Perhaps he can make a case for that after what he hopes will be a stellar performance at Notre Dame’s Pro Day. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five potential landing spots for the Fighting Irish superstar ahead of his pro practice day for NFL coaches, scouts and general managers.

Tennessee Titans (No. 4 overall pick)

No one spent more money in free agency than the Tennessee Titans, with their $316.1 million. The Las Vegas Raiders were the closest team with $292.7 million spent.

Those spending addressed a variety of Titans needs from 3-14 years into quarterback Cam Ward’s second NFL season in 2026. The biggest spend came at wide receiver with the signing of former New York Giant Wan’Dale Robinson for four years and $70 million with $38 million guaranteed. The move reunited Robinson with his former head coach Brian Daboll, who is now Tennessee’s offensive coordinator.

Tennessee signed a number of rookies on the defensive side for new head coach Robert Saleh’s unit: defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers (three years, $63 million with $42 million fully guaranteed), cornerback Alontae Taylor (three years, $58 million with $42 million fully guaranteed) and cornerback Cordale Flott (three years, $45 million with $32 million guaranteed). The Titans also traded for former Jets first-rounder Jermaine Johnson II and another former Saleh starter, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas.

Titans running back Tony Pollard is entering the final year of his contract in 2026 at age 29, so it might make sense to select Love here to form a tandem with the four-time 1,000-yard rusher, then let him become the bell cow alongside Ward in 2027.

Washington Commanders (#7 overall pick)

Concerns about 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) being lightweight when he was selected second overall in 2024 came to fruition in 2025. Daniels suffered three different injuries — a sprained knee, a strained hamstring and a dislocated elbow — that caused him to miss a total of 10 games in a 5-12 campaign for the Commanders in 2026.

Perhaps his need to rush for an NFL rookie quarterback record 891 yards in 2024 factored into his injury-plagued 2025. Currently, Washington’s rushing depth is led by two veterans on one-year contracts (Rachaad White and Jerome Ford), followed by Jacory Croskey-Merritt, the team’s 2025 rushing leader with 805 yards. If Washington decides to refocus its offense a little further away from Daniels’ legs in order to preserve his long-term future, Love could be in play for the Commanders with the sixth overall pick.

Los Angeles Rams (13th overall pick via Atlanta Falcons)

Yes, the Rams signed running back Kyren Williams to a three-year, $33 million extension, but Los Angeles could make the most of being in the top half of the draft in 2026 by selecting the best player available. Choosing Love could encourage the Rams to sell Williams at a high price and trade him for draft compensation, which would also free up $9.07 million in cap space for the NFC runner-up.

The Rams indicated they were “all in” on quarterback Matthew Stafford once again, who just won 2025 NFL MVP honors and led the Rams within a few plays of defeating the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game, with the acquisitions of cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Head coach Sean McVay could make sweet, sweet music with Love, who would become the most talented running back he’s had since 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley.

Baltimore Ravens (14th overall pick)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is an alien. At the age of 31 in 2025, he was the NFL’s second leading rusher with 1,595 rushing yards. It was his fifth career season with over 1,500 rushing yards, tying Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for the most such seasons in NFL history.

However, Henry is now 32 years old, so it’s only fair that the Ravens begin planning for the future at the running back position in order to continue to take some of the rushing burden off two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson was derailed by a hamstring injury last season, but the addition of Love would allow the Ravens’ dynamic dual-threat to save his chops for breaking the glass in emergency situations, which could extend Jackson’s career. Additionally, new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle arrives from the Bears, where he helped Chicago win the league’s third-leading rushing game with 144.5 rushing yards per game under head coach Ben Johnson. This could be a perfect home for Love.

New York Jets (16th overall pick via the Indianapolis Colts)

New York Jets running back Breece Hall, who is a dynamic player, has been franchise marked. Considering all of the Jets’ different needs, it wouldn’t make sense for New York to allocate significant cap space to re-sign him long-term. However, New York could use a new lead for an offense that ranked second-worst in the NFL in 2025, scoring just 17.6 points per game. Getting Love right in the middle of the first round would be strong value for the top edge rusher in the 2026 draft. He could help make life much easier for Geno Smith in 2026 and perhaps a younger, long-term option in 2027.