Jeremiyah Love: Preseason scouting report on the dynamic Notre Dame RB

USA Today

2 days ago

Love's a Freak Athlete, but Can He Handle a Full NFL Workload?
Love is an extremely talented athlete who can make defenders look bad, but will he become a slam-dunk featured back? At 6'0 " and 214 pounds, Love has the body type and frame to match his athletic makeup. His athleticism is excellent, and his speed, quickness, and acceleration are all NFL-ready.
He's an above-average ball carrier better suited for a zone rushing scheme. Love has sufficient patience running laterally with consistently good vision and awareness to find the right entry point, but will struggle to create on his own against early penetration.
Love tends to rely on his speed to break outside and turn the corner. This has been effective in college, but faster NFL linebackers will give him trouble. However, he's highly elusive in space once he gets through the first wave of defenders. He loves (pun intended) to hurdle would-be tacklers, and what sets him apart is his home run speed.
He was surprisingly good running inside in 2024. With a clear path, he showed good acceleration through the hole and enough shiftiness to make defenders miss in tight areas. The big concern here is his toughness. Love has good contact balance in traffic and flashed some power to break tackles, but too often he's easily brought down by one defender.
As a receiver, he's average. Love's hands are adequate, but there's nothing special to his route running. Given his vision in space, he'll be productive running screens and checkdowns but don't expect an Alvin Kamara-like receiver.
He likely won't be used in protection at the next level, but Love showed consistently good technique and awareness picking up blitzers.
Love has the athletic tools, vision, and elusiveness to be an effective NFL ball carrier. Is he a bell cow who'll get the ball 20-25 times a game? No, but his natural ability is undeniable.