Why Jeremiyah Love's Talent Transcends Value of RB Position: 'Find Me the Flaws'

The running back position has become less and less valued in the NFL Draft in recent years. However, FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt and NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay don't want the value of the running back position to skew how good Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love is. 

In the most recent episode of "The Joel Klatt Show," McShay shared that Love is the first running back he's ever had ranked No. 1 in his big board in his 26 years covering the draft. On top of that, teams in the NFL also have Love ranked as high or nearly as high on their draft big boards, according to McShay.

"I've never had a running back No. 1 overall, and this year, it's going to be the exception," McShay said. "We’ve seen Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey that one year. We’ve had Ashton Jeanty. Forget my rankings, talking to NFL teams, the lowest I’ve heard they have him is three on their board. So, he's one of the best three, if not the best player in this draft."

Klatt also has Love ranked pretty high on his big board, placing him as the second-best player in the 2026 NFL Draft in his recently revealed top 50 draft prospects ranking. Klatt previously said that he holds Love in high regard due to the number of things he does at an elite level, such as his ability to hit a home run when he runs between the tackles and on the outside. 

But even in a draft class that's perceived to be weaker than other ones in recent memory, there's still some debate over whether Love should be one of the first few players drafted. Klatt, though, thinks that Love's all-around talent should make him a top-five selection.

"When you’ve got a guy that is not just a running back, and to me, he reminds me of or could potentially become