Jeremiyah Love 40 time projection: Notre Dame RB can steal the show at Combine

Jeremiyah Love went off this past season for Notre Dame and he wasn’t talked about much with quarterbacks dominating the Heisman Trophy conversation. Don’t be fooled by his third-place finish in the Heisman Trophy race, though, he’s as good as any player in this draft. He’ll be competing in the NFL Scouting Combine workouts this week, meaning he’ll showcase just how fast he is. 

If he manages to turn heads with his 40-yard dash time, he could crash the top 5 of the NFL Draft. We know how good the defensive players are in this class, which is why Love might be getting looked over. Here’s everything you need to know about Love’s 40-yard dash time and what it means for his draft stock.

Jeremiyah Love 40 time prediction and projection

Jeremiyah Love had one heck of a season at Notre Dame and ended up being a late admission into the Heisman Trophy race. He finished third in Heisman voting. Love is projected to be one of the fastest players in the 2026 NFL Draft class. According to NFL Draft Buzz, Love is projected to have a 4.4, 40-yard dash time. That shouldn’t be a surprise when you see who Bleacher Report is comparing him too. 

He’s gotten comparisons to Bijan Robinson (4.46), Ashton Jeanty (didn’t run 40-yard dash) and Omarion Hampton (4.46). Considering the names he’s getting compared to, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Love run a tick faster than 4.46. Despite having knee injuries, he’s still showcased his explosion and ability to get into the open field. That will be on display in Indianapolis this week. 

40 Time Prediction: 4.43 seconds

What range is Jeremiyah Love projected to be drafted?

Last year, we saw Ashton Jeanty be the first running back taken off the board with the sixth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. Love should be taken somewhere in the top 20, in my opinion. Last year’s draft was full of running backs so the fact that five were taken in the first two rounds isn’t a shock. 

This class isn’t that deep. Love might be the only one taken in the first or second round. Several mock drafts have him landing with the Kansas City Chiefs, with one landing with the New Orleans Saints at No. 8. That would mean Love is most likely a top 10 pick. I can agree with that, one for his skillset, but two, because he’ll address an offensive need for a team that just had a bad year, like the Chiefs in this case. 

Potential Jeremiyah Love landing spots in the 2026 draft

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have been loyal to Isiah Pacheco. Between his injury history and him losing his step, it doesn’t surprise me that the Chiefs could be a landing spot for him. The Chiefs running game has been bad, which has put more pressure on Patrick Mahomes to do it all. The Chiefs might be the best landing spot for Love as he’ll be able to immediately impact this team, while addressing a major need. 

New Orleans Saints

The Saints have held on to Alvin Kamara long enough and it seems like he’ll be out the door if the Saints decide to draft Love. He’d be a decent addition, though I think the Saints would be better to address their offensive line or defense with their first round pick. With Love, Tyler Shough gets another weapon and a productive one at that. Getting a running back will just bring new life to this offense as Kellen Moore enters his second season. I’m sure Moore would love to add as many weapons as possible so don’t be surprised if the Chiefs won’t get the chance to draft Love first. 

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals should not draft Jeremiyah Love, if he falls past the Chiefs and the Saints. The Bengals need to have laser focus on addressing their abysmal defense. That said, Love would be a great addition to this offense. Chase Brown was good, but Love is a true feature back. In that offense, Love would give the Bengals no option but to score as many points as possible. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh has to figure out their quarterback situation first before they decide what to do with the No. 21 pick. But Love falls outside of the top 10 somehow, I wouldn’t be mad if they drafted Love. The Steelers had the 26th rushing offense, per Pro Football Reference, last season. They need to upgrade their running back room and Love is a great option. That said, they can’t neglect drafting a quarterback like Ty Simpson, if he’s there.

Jeremiyah Love stats and draft info from Notre Dame

• Height: 6-foot
• Weight: 214 pounds
• Position: Running back
• 2025 stats: 1,372 rushing yards, 280 receiving yards, 20 total TDs

Love could very well be one of the biggest steals in the draft. Not because he’s a hidden gem, but because he could very well be getting overlooked thanks to a draft heavy on defensive prospects. Love shouldn’t fall outside of the top 10 and you could argue he’s as good as any of the top players being talked about. When it comes to drafting running backs early, it’s more to address a need more than anything. Whoever drafts him is probably thinking like that, rather than best available. 

He’s going to be a standout wherever he lands. And if he does land with an offense that really does need him, he will probably have a breakout season. I’m not saying he’s going to be a shoe-in for rookie of the year, but he should be set for a big season either way. 

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