How Jeremiyah Love fits with James Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals offense after surprising No. 3 pick originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Arizona Cardinals have a shiny new weapon within their offense.
With their No. 3 pick in Thursday's first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cardinals passed on some star defenders to take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, the consensus best back in the class and one of the best all-around prospects at his position in years.
The Cardinals may have long-term quarterback questions — with Kyler Murray gone, Jacoby Brissett is currently expected to start again in 2026 — but they will certainly boast one of the NFL's best groups of weapons next season.
Here's a look at how Love will fit alongside James Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr. and the Cardinals' offense.
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All of a sudden, the Cardinals may have the NFL's most intriguing running back room.
Before the Love selection, veteran James Conner — the owner of two 1,000-yard seasons, coming off an injury that held him to three games in 2025 — was in line to receive a bulk of the 2026 carries. Despite being 30 and with the injury concerns, Conner has proven capable of handling starting reps in Arizona for the past five years.
The Cardinals also signed a highly capable backup, former Atlanta Falcon Tyler Allgeier, in free agency this offseason, while Trey Benson played a significant role in 2025 following Conner's injury.
The Love selection completely changes the dynamic. Given his production at Notre Dame and his consensus grades as the best offensive weapon in the 2026 class, Love isn't the kind of player the Cardinals would take to keep in a backup role — he is going to play a major role as a rookie, especially considering the draft capital they used on him. Love becomes the first top-5 pick at running back since Saquon Barkley.
For now, Arizona likely has plans to utilize Love's skillset in a shared role alongside Conner. On paper, it could be an excellent backfield — Love's ability to break off big plays with his speed, block, catch passes and fight for extra yards should pair well with Conner, who thrives in the red zone and up-the-middle.
However, there could also be more moves on the way for Cardinals running backs. Allgeier is plenty proven as an RB2 to Bijan Robinson in Atlanta, but now appears destined for a third-string role; Benson is also a highly qualified RB4.
Either way, the Cardinals appear to be leaning into their ground attack. While they don't have much long-term stability at quarterback, Arizona could wind up being one of the league's best rushing teams in 2026 thanks to the Love pick.
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It’s not just the running back room — the Cardinals now arguably boast one of the best skill-position groups in the NFL.
The Love-Conner-Allgeier rushing attack should provide a strong floor for Brissett or Gardner Minshew to work with, along with a strong group of receivers and tight ends. Marvin Harrison Jr. hasn’t yet proven himself as the elite wideout the Cardinals hoped for when they selected him No. 4 overall in 2024, but he has still been solid (608 yards, four TDs over 12 games in 2025) and retains plenty of long-term upside.
Then, of course, there’s Trey McBride, already likely the best pass-catching tight end in the NFL. He put up 1,239 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025, thriving alongside Brissett despite the Cardinals’ team struggles.
McBride, Harrison and Love may already form one of the best tight end-wide receiver-running back trios in the NFL. In a competitive NFC West, that matters when trying to keep pace with the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks.
It will be difficult for Arizona to contend in 2026 under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur, but the path there now clearly runs through its offense — if Brissett can successfully manage a deep group of weapons while avoiding turnovers, there’s a playoff ceiling for the Cardinals next season.
MORE: How Jeremiyah Love joined Saquon Barkley as one of highest-drafted RBs ever