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For me, Jeremiyah Love is the best prospect I’ve studied in detail this year. There are very few faults in his game. He’s incredibly explosive, has outstanding short area quickness and long speed to go with it, but he’s not just a home run hitter. He’s a very patient runner that understands how to set up blocks and create lanes for himself, which he then has the explosiveness to burst through and turn into huge gains. He’s a true home run threat from anywhere on the field, which is often an overused cliche but it actually applies to him.
Love is also a good receiver out of the backfield and adds a dynamic to the passing game. He shows good route running ability and strong hands, so can be a threat out of the backfield on choice and wheel routes, or shift outside and line up as a receiver or in the slot and run routes from there. He’s also a willing pass protector, meaning unlike most rookie running backs, he won’t have to come off the field in key situations due to a lack of blocking ability. He has the best, most consistent and most well-rounded film of all 10 players I’ve studied in detail, so I have to rank him as the top overall talent.
Kicking off draft week with a new Take Command. Deep diving into draft possibilities with @TheNFLDraftNerd.Link below. pic.twitter.com/91kRJBRC7L
Reese is a close second to Love. He’s one of the few elite talents in this class and could be elite either as a linebacker or an edge rusher. The traits are there for him to excel at either spot, or even a hybrid position splitting time at both spots. But while the traits are there, he is still quite raw as a rusher. He even admitted in recent interviews he didn’t really practice pass rush moves much in college. So while he’s extremely talented, there is some projection there. He could well end up as the next Micah Parsons – an off-ball linebacker in college that transitions to the edge and ends up becoming a dominant pass rusher.
If he does that, he’ll be the more valuable player long term compared to Love because edge rusher is a much more premium position in the NFL. But he’s not going to be that right away. He will take some time to develop into that role and there’s no guarantee he reaches those heights. So for that reason, I have him second behind Love.
Styles was the player on this list I was most surprised by. When you hear about a typical safety to linebacker conversion, you typically think of 6-foot-3, 220 pound guys with great coverage skills but a bit tentative against the run. Styles is not that. He’s got the extra size but he’s also very willing to be physical in the run game. He routinely explodes up into blockers and knocks them back, stacking and shedding them to make tackles. Despite that, he’s still very athletic and has the coverage ability to sink back and take away routes over the middle of the field.
Nothing has really wavered my opinion on this. In fact, it's becoming more solidified.The team will take Styles if he's there. He's their no.1. If Styles is not there, then it's Love. Then Tate. The only thing I would change about my prediction is that I was too low on… https://t.co/DrNGjd5LM7
Look, I love positional value as much as the next salary-cap nerd, but sometimes you just have to take the best football player on the board. Jeremiyah Love isn’t just a running back; he’s an explosive offensive weapon for a team that desperately lacks them.
We all know the math. Because of the Laremy Tunsil trade, Washington has the third-fewest picks in the NFL. The temptation to “accumulate assets” by trading down from No. 7 is real, but there’s a cliff in this class.
Most scouts agree there are only about 12-15 “True First Round” grades in this draft. If Peters trades back into the late 20s to grab an extra 3rd or 4th rounder, he’s effectively trading a Game Changer for two Rotational Players.
Would the Commanders trade back from #7? It’s feeling very unlikely pic.twitter.com/14um17O5FN
3. Don’t Play Roulette with Pick Seven: Avoid Medical Red Flags
According to the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, the Tennessee Titans are now overwhelmingly favored to select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 4 overall at -105 (bet $105 to win $100). Vegas thinks this might be a done deal, with the next-best options — edge rusher David Bailey and linebacker Sonny Styles — coming in at +600 and +650, respectively.
Washington is still being touted as the perfect landing spot for Love, even though that might be his floor. The Titans won’t care about that, but their need to improve the defense could take priority when it counts.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine named Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate the one prospect Washington should avoid in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, Ballentine argued the Commanders should address their defense.
“Surrounding Jayden Daniels with more firepower is a noble draft objective for the Commanders. Pairing former Ohio State receiver Terry McLaurin with fellow Buckeye Carnell Tate would even check that box,” wrote Ballentine.
“But this is about utilizing the seventh pick to maximize the roster moving forward. That likely means spending the pick on a defensive player.”
2025 against top 50 defenses:Jordyn Tyson: 20 rec, 167 yds, 1 TDCarnell Tate: 42 rec, 765 yds, 8 TD2025 against defenses ranking 70th or worse:Jordan Tyson: 41 rec, 545 yds, 7 TDCarnell Tate: 1 game played 5/69/1
— Mark Tyler (Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) April 20, 2026