Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach has made it abundantly clear that the team wants to improve its running game for the 2026 NFL season. Now, one of the 2026 NFL Draft‘s top prospects has made his desire to join the team known.
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love is gearing up to compete in the 40-yard dash at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, Feb. 28. Love is projected to be a top draft pick and could have sat out until his pro day after an impressive 2025 season with the Fighting Irish. Instead, he’s choosing to compete and further show the world that he’s deserving of being one of the top picks in the draft.
That alone should catch the Chiefs’ attention, but what he’s said to the media in the days leading up to his workout is turning some heads.
Jeremiyah Love sends a message to Patrick Mahomes and the KC Chiefs
Speaking to NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers and Lawrence Jackson Jr. at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, Love was asked about the quarterbacks that he could see himself lining up with, given his expected draft range. He was very coy with the whole thing at first.
“We’re talking about quarterback, right?” Love said. “I want to play with the best quarterback, so you know who that is.”
He left his answer up for interpretation in that particular conversation. However, when speaking to Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show, the St. Louis, Missouri native let it slip. He believes that Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league right now, and he wants to play in the NFL with him.
“I’d be close to home,” Love said. “Yes, yes, I would be (up for playing football with Patrick Mahomes). Especially playing with Patrick Mahomes. I feel like he’s the best quarterback as of right now, the best in the league. I feel like he’s the top one. So, it’d be an honor play with him.”
So, if we’re reading between the lines: Love says he wants to play with the best quarterback in the NFL, and he believes Patrick Mahomes is the best in the game right now.
He might as well be yelling at the top of his lungs in Brett Veach’s direction: “Pick me.”
If that’s not enough for you, there’s another reason why Love wants to play in Kansas City.
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Jeremiyah Love also wants to win a Super Bowl with the Chiefs, like one of his mentors
In discussing his formal interview with Kansas City, Love revealed a detail about his past and the Chiefs’ past that intersect. Love was recruited to Notre Dame by former Chiefs RB coach Deland McCullough and maintains a strong connection with him.
“I did meet formally with the Chiefs,” Love said, via A to Z Sports’ Ryan Roberts. “You know, being able to join that system would mean a lot. Being able to join any system would mean a lot. The Chiefs in general, my RB coach, Deland McCullough, from my Freshman and Sophomore years at Notre Dame, he coached there and won a Super Bowl with them. So, it’d be cool in his eyes for me to go there and be able to play for Chiefs Kingdom, as he says. They’ve got a great coaching staff over there. I’d be blessed to go there.”
McCullough was almost the choice at RBs coach for Kansas City this offseason, which would’ve made things even more appealing for Love. McCullough actually just ended up playing musical chairs with new Chiefs RBs coach DeMarco Murray, taking over the spot that he vacated at the University of Oklahoma. Still, there seems to be some interest from Love to follow in McCullough’s footsteps and win a ring in Kansas City. Combine that with the affinity to play with Patrick Mahomes, and you’ve got what feels more and more like a perfect match at pick No. 9.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.