The Arizona Cardinals’ decision to take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft was always going to draw a reaction. It’s the kind of move that splits a room fast: one side sees a needed playmaker, the other sees a risky use of premium draft capital.
ESPN’s Seth Walder landed firmly in the second camp during an appearance on SportsCenter, and he didn’t exactly hold back.
"The biggest problem is Jeremiyah Love. This is about the position, not the player.
He's a great running back prospect - but running back is one of the least important positions on the field. This is one step up from taking a punter at No. 3 overall," Walder said.
Walder kept going, laying out the price Arizona paid by going in that direction.
"He instantly becomes an expensive running back, and the opportunity cost is just so high. You could have taken a tackle or an edge rusher or wide receiver - someone that's hard to find in free agency. Just a big missed opportunity for Arizona."
"This is one step up from taking a punter at #3 overall." ESPN's Seth Walder on the Arizona Cardinals selection of Jeremiyah Love 3rd overall 😳 pic.twitter.com/Snuvsk92rN
Love has been a polarizing pick for plenty of reasons, and the criticism isn’t hard to understand. Running backs simply haven’t had the same draft-day track record as other premium positions, and Arizona did make Love the highest-paid player at his spot the moment it selected him.
Still, the Cardinals’ full draft picture gives the move a little more shape. Right guard Chase Bisontis went in the second round, giving Arizona another piece as it worked to overhaul its ground game.
And Love himself is not a standard back. He’s a complete weapon, the kind of runner who can hurt defenses in multiple ways. There isn’t much weakness in his game, and with Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. already in the offense, he should have room to make an impact.
None of that guarantees he hits. First-round picks can miss, and Love is no exception to that reality. But even if things don’t work out, the Cardinals’ choice won’t be living anywhere near the same neighborhood as a punter at No. 3 overall.
In Other News...
Cardinals May Have Finally Addressed The Problem That Kept Ruining Sundays
After a season in which Sundays too often unraveled because the offense could not hold up, the Cardinals spent the offseason attacking the problem from several angles. The front office and coaching staff both got a reset, and the biggest theme of the makeover was simple enough: give the offense more structure up front and more stability behind it.
Arizonas work centered on the line and the backfield, where the team added help in the form of Isaac Seumalo, Elijah Wilkinson and draft pick Chase Bisontis, while also bringing in Tyler Allgeier and Jeremiyah Love. The pieces are in place to support a cleaner, more functional offense, but the real question is whether all of those changes finally translate into something the Cardinals have lacked too often - a unit that can keep games from slipping away before they start. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Right Guard Battle Suddenly Feels More Serious Than Expected
The Cardinals right guard spot was always going to be worth watching once they used a second-round pick on Chase Bisontis, but it has become a little more layered than a simple rookie-versus-veteran setup. Mike LaFleur has already made clear Bisontis will stay inside on the offensive line, which keeps the focus squarely on a training camp competition with incumbent Isaiah Adams for a role that matters plenty in front of Arizonas quarterback and running game.
Bisontis comes into camp with the kind of draft capital that usually signals a long-term answer, even if the job is not handed over on day one. Adams, meanwhile, is giving the Cardinals a legitimate reason to let the battle play out, and that should make this one of the more closely followed camp duels on the roster as Arizona figures out how quickly it wants to turn the spot over. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Rookie Jeremiyah Love Faces Immediate Pressure In Year One
The early part of Jeremiyah Loves rookie year already comes with the kind of expectations that can settle on a young running back before camp even opens. The Cardinals back said he understands the pressure of his first NFL season, but his focus is on keeping his body right and being ready to contribute when the time comes, a reminder that the leagues learning curve can be as much about durability as it is about talent.
For Arizona, that makes Love one of the more interesting names to watch in the coming months. He knows the workload conversation is real for any young back, yet he also believes the offense has enough pieces to keep things from falling on one players shoulders. How the Cardinals manage that balance will say plenty about how quickly they want to lean on their rookie. [Read more 🡒]