*Age on 9\/1\/26<\/em><\/p>\nAs a 19-year-old sophomore in 2024, Love was given the keys to the Notre Dame backfield, and he delivered on all of the expectations as the top running back recruit entering college.<\/p>\n
That season, Love turned 191 touches into 1,362 total yards (7.1 yards per touch) and 19 touchdowns.<\/p>\n
Following that breakout, Love came back this past season at age 20 and produced 1,652 yards and 21 scores on 226 touches (7.3 yards per touch).<\/p>\n
He rushed for 6.9 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the lead back.<\/p>\n
Love led this running back class with 4.2 yards after contact per rush.<\/p>\n
This past season, Love did that with only 35.2% of his rushes coming against light boxes (six or fewer defenders), the lowest rate in the class.<\/p>\n
When Love faced those light boxes, he punished them with a gaudy 9.1 yards per attempt.<\/p>\n
That led the country this past season.<\/p>\n
For some added context, going back to the last decade of early-round running backs, Love\u2019s 9.1 YPC against light boxes is by far the highest in his final season.<\/p>\n
Ashton Jeanty<\/strong> posted 8.0 YPC against light boxes in his final season, which was the most by a first-round running back over the past decade.<\/p>\nLove cleared him by over a full yard on those attempts.<\/p>\n
Of course, Love may not get to see many light box runs in the NFL.<\/p>\n
25.1% of Love\u2019s runs came against heavy boxes (2nd highest in this class) since everyone knew he was getting the ball.<\/p>\n
Against those loaded boxes, Love posted 5.0 YPC, which was second in this class.<\/p>\n
When hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, Love averaged 2.5 yards per carry (2nd) and forced a missed tackle on 32.5% of those runs, the highest rate in the class.<\/p>\n
When Love gets into space, he is electric.<\/p>\n
He averaged a robust 10.0 yards per rush when he was contacted beyond the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n
Not only did that lead all running backs in this class, but that was also the highest yards per rush on runs hit beyond the line of scrimmage for a back with 100-plus attempts over the past 10 years.<\/p>\n
I do not believe Love is as good a pass catcher right now as Reggie<\/strong> Bush<\/strong> or Jahmyr Gibbs<\/strong> were entering the NFL (players whom Love is frequently compared to), but he has a solid foundation in that area to build on as he enters the league.<\/p>\nLove caught 28 and 27 passes in each of his two seasons as the starter.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Love was targeted on 22.2% of his routes (2nd in the class) and posted 1.83 yards per route run (3rd).<\/p>\n
Love also finished with the fifth-highest grade in pass protection in this class per Pro Football Focus in 2025.<\/p>\n
Apply any grains of salt you have to, but Love is a willing player in protection.<\/p>\n
We did not see Love do much at the NFL Combine, but he did run a 4.36 40-yard dash at 6-foot, 212 pounds.<\/p>\n
That 96th-percentile speed score was more than he needed to cement himself as the premier back in this draft class.<\/p>\n
No prospect is guaranteed to succeed in the NFL, but Love truly checks every box.<\/p>\n
He is young, athletic, and hyper productive.<\/p>\n
In a class without much front-end talent, not only at the offensive skill positions, Love also stands out even greater among his peers in this class.<\/p>\n
He is a complete player who can be inserted into an offense tomorrow as a foundational component.<\/p>\n
If there is anything to really try and tear down with Love, he has a leaner build and has not yet handled a massive workload.<\/p>\n
Low tread on the tires could also be another feature for him, but he has not had to shoulder a high workload to the degree of other front-end prospects.<\/p>\n
Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:<\/strong><\/p>\n