{"id":848223,"date":"2026-04-02T00:08:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T00:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848223\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T00:08:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T00:08:32","slug":"one-trade-spot-could-deliver-jeremiyah-love-to-vikings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848223\/","title":{"rendered":"One Trade Spot Could Deliver Jeremiyah Love to Vikings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"NotreNotre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) scores a touchdown while being chased by Indiana Hoosiers defensive back D’Angelo Ponds (5) and Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) during the first half of a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. \u00a9 Christine Tannous\/IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Are NFL teams supposed to trade up the draftboard for running backs? Absolutely not \u2014 it\u2019s taboo. Should the Minnesota Vikings do it anyway? Maybe \u2014 if the temptation is to grab Notre Dame\u2019s Jeremiyah Love<\/a>. And thanks to some reporting from NFL insider Jason La Canfora, one trade partner might just do the trick if the Vikings want Love.<\/p>\n

Cleveland could be the pivot point if Minnesota wants the Notre Dame star.<\/p>\n

That team is the Cleveland Browns<\/a>, a franchise apparently open to trading down at the No. 6 spot.<\/p>\n

Cleveland Could Hold the Key to a Love Deal<\/p>\n

How much would you give up to Love?<\/p>\n

\"JeremiyahJeremiyah Love breaks into the open field after a catch, gaining extra yards during second-half action on Sep. 30, 2023, at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. The Notre Dame running back showcased acceleration and balance against Duke, turning a routine play into a chunk gain while stressing the Blue Devils\u2019 defensive pursuit angles. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports.<\/p>\n

La Canfora: The Browns Are Open for Business<\/p>\n

Jot the Browns down as a likely trade listener. La Canfora wrote this week<\/a>, \u201cWith so many holes and wanting to stockpile picks, this may end up being a prime opportunity to trade down. In all likelihood, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be the only offensive skill player off the board when Cleveland is up to pick, and with many executives identifying Washington as a prime spot for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and the Browns being connected with Ohio State running back Carnell Tate<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps they are sitting in a bit of a sweet spot in which some other team will be motivated to move up to grab their pick on the best pass catcher or runner in this draft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cleveland pulled off a blockbuster deal in the last draft, too, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to spend big in their pursuit of Travis Hunter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

La Canfora added, \u201cThe Browns have long been in the rebuilding business and the \u2018asset relocation\u2019 business, putting together an analytically-minded front office with execs from other sports involved that has left a lasting impression on owner Jimmy Haslam, even as some of those individuals have moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCleveland just hired an older head coach in Todd Monken, who has never done the job before, and the team seems years from contending. Even in more times of more robust rosters, the Browns were generally seen as willing listeners at the very least in regards to trades, and draft trades.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a path to Love if the Vikings want him, at least in the rumor mill.<\/p>\n

Jumping in Front of the Commanders<\/p>\n

For a while in March, the Tennessee Titans became a mock-draft darling to pick Love at No. 4. While that remains in play until draft night, the tide has turned a bit in favor of Tennessee taking the plunge with Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. <\/p>\n

If the Titans don\u2019t take Love, and the New York Giants decide Cam Skattebo<\/a> and Tyrone Tracy are enough for the 2026 backfield, the Commanders are the next logical spot for Love \u2014 at pick No. 7.<\/p>\n

With the Browns trade, the Vikings would jump ahead of Washington, disqualifying them from the Love pick and making him a Viking. That\u2019s the working theory behind a trade up the draftboard so high; a team might have to box out the Commanders, who have Jacory Croskey-Merritt<\/a> and Rachaad White on tap for running back duty in 2026.<\/p>\n

The Trade Price<\/p>\n

This is the part where you avert your eyes. A trade all the way up to No. 6 in Round 1 won\u2019t be cheap for the Vikings or any franchise.<\/p>\n

\"StaceyStacey Dales conducts an on-field interview with Jeremiyah Love during NFL Scouting Combine activities on Feb. 28, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Notre Dame running back discussed preparation and performance while evaluators observed closely, as prospects navigated media sessions alongside drills during one of the league\u2019s most visible pre-draft events. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

One deal might look like this:<\/p>\n

Vikings Get:
No. 6 Pick (Jeremiyah Love)<\/p>\n

Browns Get:
No. 18 Pick
No. 49 Pick (Round 2)
No. 82 Pick (Round 3<\/p>\n

Or if the Commanders need a pass rusher like Jonathan Greenard, the swap might resemble this:<\/p>\n

Vikings Get:
No. 6 Pick (Jeremiyah Love)<\/p>\n

Browns Get:
No. 18 Pick
Jonathan Greenard
No. 82 Pick (Round 3)<\/p>\n

Minnesota could also sell next year\u2019s 1st-Rounder while possibly getting a late-rounder back from Cleveland. There are options.<\/p>\n

A Vikings Playground with Love, Murray, Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson<\/p>\n

The Vikings\u2019 rushing offense has never been solved by head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell, although it improves each year. Trading for and drafting Love would immediately fix the problem, so long as O\u2019Connell committed to using him like a bellcow RB1 in a balanced offense.<\/p>\n

\"ClevelandA Cleveland Browns helmet sits on display near the sideline ahead of kickoff on Jan. 4, 2025, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The close-up captures team branding and game-day readiness as players prepared to take the field against the Ravens in a divisional matchup with late-season implications. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

Minnesota already boasts a Top 3 defense over the last couple of seasons under Brian Flores; adding Love to an offense with Kyler Murray, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison<\/a>, and T.J. Hockenson would strike fear into the hearts of, well, everybody.<\/p>\n

If the offensive line stayed healthy \u2014 it did no such thing in 2025 \u2014 the Vikings\u2019 roster wouldn\u2019t really have any weaknesses, and the club would flirt with Super Bowl aspirations.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the upside of dreaming big about Love in purple and gold. The Browns could hold the key. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) scores a touchdown while being chased by Indiana Hoosiers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[7,233,259,2529,6,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-848223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-minnesota","10":"tag-minnesota-vikings","11":"tag-minnesotavikings","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-vikings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116332208605738383","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}