![\"Jeremiyah](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776808471_296_GettyImages-2238997227-e1776787365927.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Jeremiyah Love #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies.<\/p>\n
There was a time, not long after the end of the NFL<\/a> regular season, when the Washington Commanders<\/a> seemed to have a realistic chance at landing vaunted Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 7 overall pick in the 1st round.<\/p>\n That time may have finally passed, with Love\u2019s draft stock continuing to rise heading into the start of the draft on Thursday.<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter<\/a> believes that the chances of Love ending up in a backfield with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels<\/a> may have officially gone out the window in recent days.<\/p>\n \u201cI no longer think (Love) slides down that far,\u201d Schefter said. \u201cThat would be his floor, at 7, but he\u2019s not getting past 7 \u2026 I think right now he\u2019s looking at 3 or 4, frankly. So the Commanders have some holes, and they don\u2019t have a 2nd round pick \u2026 so they\u2019ve got to make the early picks count. A lot of pressure on that franchise after a down year.\u201d<\/p>\n Early Optimism Over Landing Jeremiyah Love<\/p>\n The Commanders\u2019 chances of drafting Love, 6-foot and 212 pounds, went down considerably after his\u00a0bravura performance at the NFL scouting combine<\/a>, where he ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.36 seconds.<\/p>\n \u201cJeremiyah Love would be the best running back in Washington since John Riggins,\u201d\u00a0First Round Mock\u2019s Daniel Kelly<\/a>\u00a0wrote. \u201d \u2026 Love brings another dimension to any NFL team\u2019s offense.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with pressing defensive needs,\u00a0Commanders head coach Dan Quinn<\/a> seemed like he was leaning toward taking a running back.<\/p>\n \u201cHow does somebody impact a team in a great way?\u201d\u00a0Quinn said to ESPN\u2019s Rich Eisen<\/a>. \u201cAnd sometimes that\u2019s through running back. And we\u2019ve seen the players over the last four or five years who have done that.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeremiyah Love Compared to Star RB Jahmyr Gibbs<\/p>\n There don\u2019t get much better comparisons for a running back than what Love drew from\u00a0NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein<\/a>\u00a0in his pre-draft evaluation, comparing him to\u00a0Detroit Lions<\/a>\u00a0superstar running back\u00a0Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThree-phase running back capable of stressing defenses with big-play speed and untapped pass-catching value,\u201d Zierlein wrote. \u201d \u2026 Love runs with a fierce tempo and processes the front with adequate eyes to find entry points and burst through them. Outstanding speed erases pursuit angles to the corner and helps him pull away from tacklers once he opens his gait. He\u2019s live-legged with violent cuts in segmented bursts that can elude tacklers but slow his momentum. He\u2019s a talented route runner and pass catcher who can work from the slot and mismatch linebackers. Love is a three-down, scheme-independent player who would benefit from a complementary back to preserve his big-play ability \u2026 workhorse mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n Love put up big numbers in his final 2 seasons at Notre Dame, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns to go with 27 receptions, 280 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2025 in 12 games on the way to being named a unanimous All-American, Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist.<\/p>\n In just 3 seasons at Notre Dame, Love scored 42 total touchdowns.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTony Adame<\/a> covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Commanders\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Jeremiyah Love #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies. 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