Sportsnaut
Leading up to the final moments before the Arizona Cardinals were on the clock with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding what general manager Monti Ossenfort might do. Would they use it on a pass-rusher to help support a defense that ranked 29th in points allowed a season ago? Or on Jeremiyah Love, the best player available?
By now, everyone knows they went with Love, but he doesn’t exactly have a clear path to a featured role as a rookie. It doesn’t help that his offensive coordinator just made some comments to slow down Love’s rookie hype train either.
From the moment Love was drafted, he joined a crowded running back depth chart in Arizona. It was just this past offseason when the Cardinals restructured Pro Bowl running back James Conner’s contract to keep him around. They also signed Tyler Allgeier to a two-year contract worth $12.25 million. That means Love, a rookie, is likely starting his career no higher than third on the team’s depth chart despite being the fourth pick in the draft.
During Saturday’s media availability, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was brutally honest in his early reaction to what he’s seen from Love so far. While he’s “very excited” for Love’s upside, he also admitted the obvious: that the 21-year-old is still just a rookie.
Love has an uphill climb to not only become a starter, but compete to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Yet, he was picked so high for a reason.
The former Notre Dame star has the potential to break off a touchdown run each time he touches the ball, and he won’t just make an impact as a rusher; Love can be a difference-maker catching passes like Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield too. Now the question is how quickly first-year head coach Mike LaFleur, Hackett, and Co. can help get Love up to speed.
Related: 5 NFL Quarterbacks Being Overlooked Ahead of 2026 Season
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