Daniel Jeremiah reveals higher grade for Jeremiyah Love than Jahmyr Gibbs as NFL Draft prospect

After becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist this past season, Jeremiyah Love is widely considered the top running back in the 2026 NFL Draft. But NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah put the former Notre Dame star’s stock into perspective and said he has a higher grade on Love than he did for Jahmyr Gibbs.

Love has drawn high praise for his ability both out of the backfield and in the passing game. This past season at Notre Dame, he rushed for 1,372 yards while adding 280 receiving yards, and his 21 total touchdowns set a program record. From there, he flew up the draft boards and put together a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine.

But with just over a week to go until the draft, Jeremiah said while Love isn’t necessarily on the same plane as Saquon Barkley, he has a higher grade than Gibbs. Jeremiah drew a notable comparison to Bijan Robinson, who went No. 7 overall to the Atlanta Falcons out of Texas and is also known for his versatility.

“I think there’s a lot there,” Jeremiah said on a conference call with reporters. “To me, you start with him just as a player. He’s a complete back. He can do everything. I think his value, what he can do in the passing game, is what elevates him and puts him in the neighborhood of some of those guys. I did not have him quite the level of Saquon Barkley coming out. But he’s in the conversation with Bijan Robinson for me. I have a higher grade on him than I had on Jahmyr Gibbs. We know what he’s become.

“He’s extremely talented, he’s explosive. He’s going to give you big plays in the pass game, as well as in the run game. He’s not a little guy – he’s 212 pounds. Obviously, they shared the backfield with Jadarian Price there at Notre Dame. There’s very few teams that have kind of a ‘lone wolf’ running back anymore. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, pair him up with somebody else, I think he’ll be a really dynamic player.”

For comparison, when Gibbs came out of Alabama, he ran for 926 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 444 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. The Detroit Lions drafted him No. 12 overall and he has since become one of the NFL’s top running backs. Across three years, Gibbs has 3,580 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns along with 1,449 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in the air.

Daniel Jeremiah ‘breaking own rule’ with Jeremiyah Love mock

In his most recent mock draft, Daniel Jeremiah projected Jeremiyah Love to go to the Tennessee Titans with the No. 4 overall pick. Love’s draft slot is going to be one of the storylines to watch on Day 1 of the NFL Draft given his skill set, as well as the amount of teams that could express interest.

But Jeremiah said he’s going against the grain by picking Love to go to Tennessee. He usually wants to see running backs go to teams with a more complete offensive line, along with other key pieces. With Love, that might be a year away, but it also speaks to the caliber player he is.

“I’ve always had the rule of you need to build out the key parts of the roster, including the offensive line, before you insert the running back because the career, the shelf life, you want to be able to maximize all their carries,” Jeremiah said. “You don’t want to waste carries on a bad team with a running back.

“You’d like to build it up and then drop the running back in. … So I’m breaking my own rule in saying I still think they should take Jeremiyah Love, even though they don’t have all those pieces in place, with the hope being that one more offseason of free agency and the draft, they can build up the offensive line and the rest of that offense.”