Jeremiyah Love-Cardinals pairing at No. 3 a popular pick in final mock drafts

The Jeremiyah Love-Cardinals match at the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft has been steadily gaining steam entering the first round Thursday, and analysts are onboard as they pull their mock drafts into the train station.

The Notre Dame dual-threat running back, a member of Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro’s five players he guarantees the Cardinals will take if they stay put at No. 3, was spotlighted Monday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he “is truly in play” for Arizona.

Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns last season for the Fighting Irish. He also had 27 catches and 280 receiving yards for three scores as he made a run at the Heisman Trophy.

Many have mocked Love to the Cardinals in their final predictions, with the total tally reaching 24 on the Arizona Sports Mock Draft Tracker before the first round begins at 5 p.m. MST.

A look at a few pundits who have linked to Notre Dame star to Arizona and what they are saying about the fit:

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein

It turns out the late smoke comes from a fire. If the Cardinals can’t trade the pick, they stick and take their best available, regardless of positional value.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler

We can debate whether the Cardinals are at the right point in their roster construction to take this type of swing. But on the other side of that coin, they have a chance to add arguably the best player in the draft — and a weapon who would make a greater impact than anyone else they could take here.

CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson

Yes, the Cards just signed Tyler Allgeier. And yes, doubling down at running back would be a luxury for a team with plenty of needs in the league’s best division. But there’s been a lot of smoke around Love to Arizona, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he came off the board here.

Sharp Football Analysis’ Ryan McCrystal

Many have reported the Cardinals interest in Love over the last 48 hours and it might stem from owner Michael Bidwill. Taking a running back third overall isn’t usually ideal from a roster-building stand point. However, Arizona is expected to take a quarterback later, so it can afford to overpay at the running back position. Mike LaFleur certainly won’t complain. He’s from the Kyle Shanahan tree and has seen what Christian McCaffrey can do in that offense. Love provides a similar skill set.

The Cardinals enter Thursday night with seven selections, one being in each round.

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