Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love tore up the gridiron for the last two seasons with the Fighting Irish with his athleticism, speed and versatility.
He’s now looking to replicate that on NFL Sundays.
Love finished fourth among all Division I FBS players in 2025 with 1,372 rushing yards, breaking Notre Dame’s single-season team record for most touchdowns in a season, with 21. The Heisman Trophy finalist is a three-down running back who draft analysts are expecting to be an impact player — a break from traditional NFL draft behavior by teams.
Indeed, Love is expected to be a highly coveted, potentially top-10 pick who could even see teams trading up to take him when the 2026 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 23. Should that happen, he would be one of a select few Notre Dame running backs in history to become a first-round pick, let alone a top-10 selection.
Here’s what to know as Love prepares to hear his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft:
Who was last Notre Dame RB taken in first round of NFL draft?
The last Notre Dame running back to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft was Jerome Bettis in 1993, when the Los Angeles Rams took him with the No. 10 overall pick. Bettis spent the first three seasons of his 13-year NFL career with the Rams before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2005.
Bettis was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1993 after rushing for 1,429 yards and seven touchdowns on 294 carries. He finished his NFL career with 13,662 rushing yards and 91 rushing touchdowns on 3,479 carries en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bettis, for what it’s worth, hopes Love does not wait as long to hear his name called.
“If he got past 10, it would be shocking,” Bettis recently told USA TODAY Sports of Love. “I think he should go in the first six picks, but if he’s there at 11, somebody needs to give all of their picks up to go up and get him, because he is a difference-maker. You can’t say that about a lot of running backs. But he is a difference maker.
“He is going to change the dynamics of your offense. He’s one of those guys that you go get if you have the opportunity to. And I’ll say that, in the top five, in the top six, if you have an opportunity to go up there and get him, you (should) make that decision to go up and get him, because he is going to be a guy who can change your offense.”
How many Notre Dame RBs have gone in first round of NFL draft?
Should Love go in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, he would be only the fourth Fighting Irish running back to be selected in the first round in draft history, and the first 33 years.
Here’s a look at past Notre Dame running backs taken in the first round of the NFL draft:
How many Notre Dame players have been taken in first round of NFL draft?
Using Pro Football Reference as a database, Notre Dame has had 18 players selected in the top 10 of the common era-NFL draft, which began in 1967. Here’s a look at Notre Dame players taken in the top 10:
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Jeremiyah Love has chance to join rare Notre Dame company as first-round pick
Reporting by John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
