RB Jeremiyah Love goes to the Arizona Cardinals with the 3rd overall pick

One thing practically all reputable NFL Draft analysts could agree upon was that Jeremiyah Love was one of the best players in the class.

Love’s talent wasn’t much of a question coming into the NFL Draft. His position was. Running backs have seen their value dip over the years, which put NFL teams picking in the top 10 into a conundrum. Should they take a player who had a nearly unanimous approval rating, or pass him for another prospect at a more valuable position?

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The Arizona Cardinals passed on filling other needs to take a player they clearly thought was the best on the board, and selected Love with the third overall pick. He will immediately help an offense that needs some juice, though there are still major holes like offensive line and edge rusher that could have been addressed.

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Love immediately becomes a focal point of the Cardinals’ offense. He should be a high-volume back from his first game on, because he doesn’t need to come off the field. He’s an electric runner who can create an explosive play on any carry, and also an excellent receiver. Over the last two seasons he rushed for 17 and then 18 touchdowns, with a matching 6.9 yards per carry each season. Last season he added three receiving touchdowns. Love finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Love’s all-around ability, and the lack of blue-chip prospects in this class, made him an attractive option near the top of the draft even as running backs have been devalued around the league. But because of his talent and the relative success rate of running backs drafted in the first round recently, Love was also one of the safest picks in this draft class.

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Love will instantly become one of the biggest stars of the rookie class. He profiles as a featured back with dynamic playmaking ability. Drafting running backs in the top 10 has become a rarity in the past decade, and the Cardinals could have gone in other directions at No. 3, but Love seems like a pretty sound investment.