Jeremiyah Love turned a lot of heads at the NFL Scouting Combine and as a result, has quite a few teams thinking about using an early pick on him in the 2026 NFL Draft. That sounds good for teams around the top 10-15, but the teams inside the top 10, they should be focused less on the hype and more on addressing needs. After all, the teams picking in the top 10 have been repeat offenders, and drafting a running back that high with other pressing needs is simply a waste.Â
Nonetheless, these four teams will probably drum up some hype and look at possibly drafting Love early. It would be a bad mistake as each of these four teams have far more pressing needs than drafting a running back.
Cincinnati Bengals
Ah, it would be very enticing for the Cincinnati Bengals to draft Jeremiyah Love. He’d be a speedy back that could be an asset in both the run and passing games. It would be a horrid mistake to once again neglect the defense for offense — wrong offensive help at that. Chase Brown is good, but Jeremiyah Love flexed his athleticism at the NFL combine, certainly locking in a top-15 spot in the draft.Â
The Bengals need to steer clear. This defense is so bad that drafting a running back with all the talent on defense in this draft should get everyone from Zac Taylor and up fired. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see what Cincinnati’s offense looks like with star power all over, but ignoring the glaring holes on this team will only amplify the Bengals' struggles as of late.Â
I would say trust the Bengals front office to do the right thing, but they’ve done nothing to assure fans they’re ready to build a true championship roster. Love shouldn’t be a Bengal, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he somehow landed with the Bengals in a desperate attempt to make this offense bulletproof.Â
New York Giants
This wouldn’t be a bad mistake, but it wouldn’t be smart to draft Love. He’s going to be an electric asset wherever he goes, and it just doesn’t make sense for the New York Giants to draft Love when they have Cam Skattebo, who should be their feature back. They need perimeter weapons for Jaxson Dart. As nice as it would be to have a backfield with Skattebo and Love, they can’t fall in love with that idea.Â
The Giants have to improve their offensive line and then have more than Malik Nabers as a receiver. New York whiffed on Abdul Carter last year. They can’t afford another misstep by drafting an unnecessary need.Â
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona has a lot to work on, and adding a running back is not one of those things. Yes, they'll need one eventually, but they do not need to waste the No. 3 pick on Love. Right now, they don’t even know who their quarterback is going to be, their offensive line isn’t great, and their defense is one of the worst in the NFL. The last thing they need to be thinking about is a running back.Â
The Cardinals need to focus on addressing their defense. Walter Nolen and Will Johnson are showing a lot of potential, but they need more than just those two. Love does nothing to get the Cardinals any closer to competing in the NFC West. It was the toughest division in the NFL a year ago, and if they reload again this year, they can’t be focused on unimportant needs.Â
Tennessee Titans
Tony Pollard was one of the only bright spots on this offense last season. There’s no way the Tennessee Titans are so obsessed with Love’s outing at the combine. He’s good, but the Titans need to focus on protecting Cam Ward, first and foremost, and then giving him players to throw to. Love won’t be the difference in the Titans leaving the rebuilding phase or not. When you have the No. 4 pick and have had a top pick in each of the last two NFL Drafts, you don’t have the luxury of drafting best available.Â
The Titans need to be drafting for need. They can either focus on improving their defense first or their offense; either way, Love isn’t the answer to getting them out of rebuilding hell. It sounds intriguing, but it would be a grave mistake to pass on one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL Draft just to get one of the most athletic players in the draft when you don’t need one.