Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett didn’t exactly pour on the praise when asked about rookie running back Jeremiyah Love at training camp on Saturday.
The Cardinals used the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on the former Notre Dame star, a selection that usually comes with an immediate path to RB1 duties. That’s how the Las Vegas Raiders handled Ashton Jeanty after taking him No. 6 in 2025. Arizona, though, isn’t handing Love the job just yet.
“He's definitely a rookie, and as we've talked about, he'll keep growing every single day,” Hackett said of Love. “Very excited for him.
All those guys, not just him. I'm very excited about this room.
There are a lot of guys that have a lot of carries, a lot of experience that can do multiple things.”
That room includes veterans James Conner and Tyler Allgeier, both of whom bring plenty of production to the table. Conner has rushed for 6,065 yards and 60 touchdowns in nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cardinals and has made two Pro Bowls. Allgeier has 2,876 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns across four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Still, the Cardinals didn’t spend a premium pick on Love to stash him behind established backs. That’s why Hackett’s measured tone stood out. First-round running backs are usually greeted with a lot more certainty than that.
Former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was far more direct about Bijan Robinson early in camp in 2023, saying, “[P]retty d- pleased with [RB] Bijan [Robinson] so far,”
Robinson, the No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft, has already turned that draft status into two Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro selection in three seasons with Atlanta. Love arrives with a similar kind of profile. He won the 2025 Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back after finishing eighth in the nation with 1,372 rushing yards on 199 carries and tying for third with 18 rushing touchdowns.
The pre-draft buzz around Love was loud, too. In his scouting report, The Ringer’s Steve Muench wrote, “Love is the best player regardless of position in the 2026 draft class,”
Hackett may have been trying to keep expectations in check, but the message didn’t land especially cleanly. For fans still carrying the memory of his rough 2022 run as Denver Broncos head coach, the media handling won’t inspire much confidence.
For now, Cardinals fans looking for a spark after a 3-14 2025 season will have to wait for a clearer read. The Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio, will offer the next chance to see how far Love has come.
NBC will televise the game at 8 p.m. ET.
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