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The Cardinals knew they wanted Jeremiyah Love. They just needed the right phone number to get him.
General manager Monti Ossenfort acknowledged the only reason for any delay Thursday night to take the Notre Dame running back with the third pick of the NFL Draft was because the initial digits they had to call Love at the draft in Pittsburgh were the wrong ones.
A mere hiccup, really. “There was no delay,” coach Mike LaFleur said, emphasizing how much the Cardinals wanted Love – the player most considered the best in the 2026 class — with their pick.
Love wasn’t yet 2 years old when the Cardinals went into the 2007 NFL Draft with the No. 5 pick deciding to take tackle Levi Brown and pass on running back Adrian Peterson. History did not repeat.
Love is the first running back taken in the top 5 since the Giants took Saquon Barkley No. 2 in 2018.
“I have the opportunity to really set a new standard for running backs,” Love said on a conference call. “We’ve already had Saquon, we’ve had Bijan (Robinson, picked 8th in 2023), we’ve had Ashton Jeanty (6th in 2025), and now you have me. It’s my job and my duty that when I set foot in Arizona I do what I gotta do to represent in the right way.”
After the Raiders took quarterback Fernando Mendoza first and the Jets snared pass rusher David Bailey, the Cardinals looked into a potential trade but decided thattaking the universally loved Love was the best choice.
“He’s just an impressive kid,” general manager Monti Ossenfort said.
“When we are picking that high, the goal is to add an impact player,” Ossenfort added. “In the end, we felt like we added the guy we felt could impact our team the most.”
Love averaged 6.9 yards a carry with 17 touchdowns rushing in 2024 and followed up in 2025 with another 6.9 yards per carry, 18 more rushing touchdowns. He also averaged more than 10 yards on his 27 receptions with another three touchdowns.
Better yet, he did all that on only 226 touches in 2025, keeping his workload low heading into his NFL career.
Love will have a learning curve, LaFleur said, but his game-breaking ability will make a difference in a sport that demands them
“There is no secret in this league, ‘explosives’ are massive,” LaFleur said. “Outside of points, what are the two biggest factors offensively, it’s turnovers and explosives. Any way you can generate explosives, it’s a good thing for the offense.”
The Cardinals just signed Tyler Allgeier to a two-year free-agent contract and worked out James Conner’s deal to keep the veteran in Arizona. They still have 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson. But Love will jump to the top of the depth chart as a dynamic backfield option for LaFleur and his new offensive scheme.
“I expect them to have a great plan for the offense,” Love said. “So no matter if it’s 20 carries (for me) or 15 carries or 10 carries, no matter what it is, we’re going to do great things.”
Love to the Cardinals had been pushed nationally hard over the past few days. It was no smokescreen. Love said he was not surprised the Cardinals took him, noting he had “great dialogue” with GM Monti Ossenfort as the two clicked.
Once the Jets took Bailey, Love was confident his name would be next, thanks to his Ossenfort conversations. There were “minimal” conversations to trade down and that suited Ossenfort just fine. The GM said the Cardinals pretty much settled on Love at the beginning of the week, which dovetails with the reports suddenly emerging that the team was targeting the running back.
“I love him, he loves me, and we’re going to make this relationship work,” Love said. “We’re going to do some great things.”
The Cardinals, with injuries to Conner and Benson last season as well as much of the offensive line, struggled to run the ball all season. They averaged just 93.1 yards a game.
That will change with a running back room now filled with Love.
“I’m still on the hunt for something for something greater than this,” Love said of his draft status. “That hunt is never going to stop.”
Ossenfort has choices with third pick; trade option is another unknown
Check out all the ways to watch and live stream the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23-25, 2026
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Ossenfort says team is comfortable with Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew
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Ossenfort could take shot at signal-caller in third round and beyond
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Love Story: Cardinals Select Jeremiyah Love In First Round Of 2026 Draft – Arizona Cardinals
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