Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love ‘on the hunt’ for greatness after going No. 3 overall

TEMPE — “It actually happened.”

Those three words probably ran through the minds of many (mine included) when the Arizona Cardinals pulled the trigger on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick.

After all the hype in recent weeks, the thought is now a reality. Surprised? Love is not.

“It was not a surprise to me. I had great dialogue with (Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort) about a week ago,” Love said Thursday. “After (Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey) got picked (by the New York Jets), I kind of had an inkling I was going to the Cardinals.

“It’s just a blessing to have the opportunity to come to Arizona. I’m ready for it. I’m ready to work.”

Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort echoed Love, saying the team had a good idea the running back was going to be the pick at the beginning of the week.

Love instantly provides a boost in a Cardinals running backs room that had already undergone construction this offseason with the addition of Tyler Allgeier, the contract revision of James Conner and the re-signing of Bam Knight.

Now with Love in the mix, the room is that much more crowded. And seeing any of those veterans holding that RB1 title by the start of the regular season feels unlikely.

“It’s a good room. As with anything else, the competition will take care of itself,” Ossenfort said. “That’ll be for Mike and his staff to sort out. It’s a good problem to have.”

Love possesses the traits to be an absolute game-changer for offensive-minded head coach Mike LaFleur in his first year on the job.

Given how the roster is currently constructed, the running back is going to have to utilize all of them and then some.

While the Cardinals offensive line and run game was among Arizona’s biggest strong suits just a couple short years ago, that was far from the case this past year.

.@Tdrake4sports shares his thoughts on RB Jeremiyah Love landing with the Cardinals at No. 3 overall and the big question looming with the selection. pic.twitter.com/VMlUB5LlLt

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) April 24, 2026

Injuries played a major role in that epic downturn. Same with poor play in the trenches.

This offseason, Arizona remedied the left guard question mark with the addition of veteran Isaac Seumalo. He’s expected to fit right in sandwiched between Paris Johnson Jr. and Hjalte Froholdt.

The right side, however, still has its concerns.

Isaiah Adams flashed potential late last year but still left a lot to be desired after being a training camp standout.

Elijah Wilkinson, meanwhile, is coming off 17 starts at right tackle for the Atlanta Falcons but is entering his second stint with Arizona after serving as a guard the last time around.

As for any competition at those spots? 2025 undrafted signing Josh Fryar and Christian Jones serve as the next two in line at right tackle. Fryar made five starts across 12 games played, while Jones has appeared in just four games in two years.

At guard, Jon Gaines II and Hayden Conner make up a lot of the depth along the interior. Gaines has made five starts in 30 games played since entering the league in 2023. Conner saw just five games as a rookie last year due to injury.

For the Cardinals to be successful running the rock, Love must be at his best on top of the starting line not only staying healthy, but also effective.

Those two factors weren’t in play last year and played huge roles in Arizona sporting the second-worst rushing attack in the league behind only the Las Vegas Raiders. And guess what? They were led by a first-round rookie running back.

Love also needs to be on his game from the jump for another reason: He’s getting paid right away.

As the No. 3 overall pick, Love is set to make $12.5 million on average and $50.1 million total. That’s good enough for the seventh-highest paid running back in the league, according to OverTheCap.

For a rookie dipping his feet into the NFL waters, knowing you’re making that kind of dough and needing to produce right away can bring an immense amount of pressure.

Can Love be an exception?

“No added pressure at all. I try not to listen to a lot of things that are said about me whether they’re good or bad,” Love said. “I know that I was just picked as a third overall pick in the NFL Draft but I’m still myself at the end of the day. I still have my same work ethic.

“It’s only going to get better and I’m still just Jeremiyah Love. I’m still on a hunt for something greater than this and that hunt’s never going to stop.”

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