Cardinals draft Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick in 2026 NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals went with a existent playmaker connected offense, selecting Notre Dame moving backmost Jeremiyah Love with the 3rd wide prime successful the 2026 NFL Draft.

Many believed heading into the archetypal circular connected Thursday nighttime that Arizona was a cleanable trade-down candidate, arsenic teams mightiness person paid a premium to onshore either Love, oregon idiosyncratic else, they coveted.

It perchance looked that mode arsenic the timepiece ticked person to zero, but the Cardinals ended up putting their prime in, landing the statement apical moving backmost successful this 2026 class.

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Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame celebrates aft being selected arsenic the 3rd wide prime by the Arizona Cardinals during the archetypal circular of the 2026 NFL Draft astatine Acrisure Stadium successful Pittsburgh, Pa., connected April 23, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Love became the highest drafted moving backmost since the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley 2nd wide retired of Penn State successful 2018. And helium joins a Cardinals discourtesy that volition beryllium revamped nether caller caput manager Mike LaFleur.

It’s a West Coast-style discourtesy for LaFleur, and helium gets a speedy Love, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash astatine the NFL Combine. The portion besides speaks for itself, with Love showcasing explosive carnal traits arsenic good arsenic spot successful the trenches.

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Love besides joins a seasoned successful James Conner, portion Tyler Allgeier signed with the Cardinals this offseason. But Love has the endowment to acceptable himself isolated from the rest, with galore believing helium was the champion wide subordinate successful this draft.

Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame arrives successful Pittsburgh earlier the 2026 NFL Draft connected April 23, 2026. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Love ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this past play for the Fighting Irish, portion surpassing 100 yards successful six of his 14 showings. He adjacent rushed for a whopping 228 yards against the USC Trojans.

Given the Cardinals didn't person a azygous 100-yard rusher this past season, they’re going with idiosyncratic who tin supply foodstuff to the new-look offense.

It’s besides a caller look with Kyler Murray out, arsenic helium went to the Minnesota Vikings pursuing his merchandise from Arizona.

Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell aft being selected 3rd wide by the Arizona Cardinals during the archetypal circular of the 2026 NFL Draft astatine Acrisure Stadium successful Pittsburgh, Pa., connected April 23, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

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The Cardinals, astatine slightest for now, are heading into the 2026 play with Jacoby Brissett, the seasoned journeyman who took implicit for the injured Murray past year, arsenic their starting quarterback.

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