In the moments after the Arizona Cardinals made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Jeremiyah Love offered a proclamation. He was on the hunt, he said, for “something greater.” A bold ambition on the greatest night of his life.
So, less than 24 hours later, in front of a full auditorium at his new practice facility, Love was asked to expound on that notion.
“I wanted to convey that I'm not complacent,” Love said. “I'm not satisfied from just getting here. I want to be a Hall of Famer by the end of my time playing. I want to be one of the greatest running backs to come through the game.”
This was the essence of Love’s introductory press conference. With each word, he revealed something about himself: His passion, his drive, his intelligence. Those are all, of course, cliches this time of year. But with Love, the authenticity was hard to ignore.
The Arizona Cardinals introduce their first-round draft pick running back Jeremiyah Love during a news conference at the Cardinals Dignity Health training facility on April 24, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz.Cardinals take running back in 1st round of NFL draft: What's the grade?
1 / 18Jeremiyah Love introduced by Arizona Cardinals. See photosThe Arizona Cardinals introduce their first-round draft pick running back Jeremiyah Love during a news conference at the Cardinals Dignity Health training facility on April 24, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz.Cardinals take running back in 1st round of NFL draft: What's the grade?
The Arizona Cardinals introduce their first-round draft pick running back Jeremiyah Love during a news conference at the Cardinals Dignity Health training facility on April 24, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz.Cardinals take running back in 1st round of NFL draft: What's the grade?
Take, for example, his explanations for his own skill set. Each time he was asked about a portion of his own game, he offered the credit to a coach from his past.
With ball security, he pointed to Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough. From Love’s first week in South Bend, Indiana, McCullough had him go through his stretching drills with a beeping ball that would go quiet if Love’s grip loosened. Now, he takes pride in running through the end zone with two hands on the football — a point that won’t go ignored by Cardinals fans who lived through last season’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.
With difficult, short-yardage gains, he credited his coach at Christian Brothers College High School, Scott Pingel. “There was a huge emphasis on finishing and making sure you're being gritty and tough,” Love said.
With pass protection, Love said that there is no area he practices more. To him, it’s the distillation of the mindset required to succeed in the NFL.
“I like pass protection, I get to hit people,” Love said. “People are always hitting me so if I get to deliver a blow, I'm gonna take pride in it and I'm gonna do the best of my ability to try to knock your head off.”
It wasn’t only in explaining his own skill set that Love impressed, either.
He offered a detailed justification for his four favorite running backs in the modern NFL (Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara), explaining what he has learned from each. In the lead-up to the draft, he met with McCaffrey, gleaning insight on the professionalism required to succeed in the NFL.
Moments later, when asked about the impact that an elite running back can make, Love described opening up the offense for Marvin Harrison Jr. In the same breath, he thanked Harrison and left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. for attending his press conference.
“It shows me the great culture that's here with the Cardinals,” Love said. “And I plan to come in and make that culture better.”
It was hard, as Love spoke, not to conjure comparisons to the viral clip a day earlier in New York, when Arvell Reese — the No. 5 overall pick who was often connected to the Cardinals pre-draft — struggled to name a single new teammate of his on the Giants. Reese may have filled a more valuable positional need, at edge rusher, but Love’s demeanor meshes with the character-first philosophy long extolled by general manager Monti Ossenfort.
“It all just comes down to me being myself,” Love said. “A lot of people say I'm confident, a lot of people say I'm humble. But at the end of the day, I'm just being who I am.”
Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame celebrates after being selected third overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals.Cardinals take RB in 1st round of NFL Draft: What's the grade?
1 / 18Jeremiyah Love drafted by Arizona Cardinals. See photos of his careerJeremiyah Love of Notre Dame celebrates after being selected third overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals.Cardinals take RB in 1st round of NFL Draft: What's the grade?