The San Francisco 49ers have an elite running back on their roster in Christian McCaffrey, but other teams could be looking for the next generational talent at the position in the upcoming NFL Draft. Jeremiyah Love might be the man to fill that role. The Notre Dame star is considered far and away the best ball-carrier in the class and is widely projected to be a top-five pick. While fans debate the merits of selecting an RB so high in the year 2026, McCaffrey is doling out substantial praise.
The former Offensive Player of the Year and three-time First-Team All-Pro believes Love has the “it factor” that the top backs in the league possess.
“When you watch his tape, you find out that he kind of has that extra juice, that stuff that you can’t really coach,” McCaffrey told Ian Rapoport on NFL Network. “That’s the vision, that’s the contact balance and you can tell by the way his teammates talk about him as well. I actually know his strength coach at Notre Dame really well and he just raves about him, so he’s a guy that I’m sure is going to have continued success for however long he wants to play.”
“When you watch his tape, you find out that he kind of has that extra juice, that stuff that you can’t really coach.”
One highly drafted RB in Christian McCaffrey talking about another soon to be in Jeremiyah Love with @RapSheet on The Insiders. pic.twitter.com/Sle4rkdZkE
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 15, 2026
If people wanted to know how Love is perceived around the NFL world, all they have to do is take a glance at a few mock drafts. Many analysts have predicted the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants to take him with the No. 4 and No. 5 selections, respectively, despite both franchises coming off last-place finishes and having other needs to address. The 6-foot, 212-pounder is forcing executives to reconsider positional value in favor of undeniable firepower.
Love helped the Fighting Irish make the national championship game in the 2024-25 campaign and logged 199 carries for a mammoth 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He also fared well as a pass-catcher, totaling 517 receiving yards and another five TDs over the last two years. Some scouts foresee him becoming a lethal dual-threat at the next level.
Christian McCaffrey is well-versed on that particular subject and thinks Jeremiyah Love has the tools to become a multifaceted powerhouse.
“Well, I think he has the capability to do so,” he said. “When you have the ability and you pose that threat on defenses, it can open up a lot and he’s somebody that can absolutely do that, so I’m excited to see his future.”
It will be interesting to see if the Titans, Giants or another squad feels the same way about this unanimous All-American.
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