INDIANAPOLIS — The Tennessee Titans need a center. They need edge rushers. They need cornerbacks to survive in the AFC South. But as the 2026 NFL Combine heats up, General Manager Mike Borgonzi and Head Coach Robert Saleh are eyeing a completely different weapon. Sitting at No. 4 overall, the Titans might just pull the trigger on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. If you ask the draft analysts walking the halls of Lucas Oil Stadium, the move makes perfect sense. The bleachers shook in South Bend every time Love touched the rock last fall, and now he is making his case as the premier non-quarterback prospect in this class.
Drafting a running back in the top five draws immediate criticism, but Love breaks the traditional mold. The Notre Dame star dismantled defenses in 2025, racking up 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes for 280 yards. He earned unanimous All-American honors, secured the Doak Walker Award, and finished right behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the Heisman Trophy race. You could almost feel the tension in the room when scouts watched his tape; he didn’t just find holes, he erased pursuit angles entirely.
ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller ranks Love as the top overall player on the board, comparing his ceiling to Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah places Love at No. 2, sandwiched right between Mendoza and the rest of the pack. The Titans met with Love this week, and the mutual interest is obvious. Borgonzi spent years building championship rosters in Kansas City. Saleh just spent 2025 watching Christian McCaffrey terrorize defenses as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Both men know exactly what a versatile, three-down back does to an opposing game plan.
“I am willing to do anything for an organization to have success. I will put my body on the line, and you will get my full undivided attention and effort as a football player. We’re going to win some Super Bowls.”
— Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame Running Back
“Shoot, I just had a year with Christian McCaffrey. I think he had over 400 touches. So, if they are three-down players and they can impact the game and they can create mismatches out on the perimeter… They’re tremendous assets to the football team.”
— Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans Head Coach
Selecting Love at No. 4 completely changes the math for the Tennessee offense. The Titans already have Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, and Kalel Mullings under contract, but none possess Love’s unique combination of breakaway speed and elite pass-catching ability. Pairing a dynamic three-down back with second-year franchise quarterback Cam Ward gives offensive coordinator Brian Daboll the ultimate chess piece. Opposing linebackers will face an impossible choice: stack the box to stop the run, or spread out to cover Love in the slot. If Tennessee passes on trade-down offers and selects the Irish star, they instantly inject pure electricity into their roster, drastically accelerating their timeline to compete for the AFC South crown.
