Cardinals draft Jeremiyah Love No. 3: Highest RB pick since Saquon Barkley now among NFL's highest-paid Love goes No. 3 to Arizona, becoming the highest-drafted RB since 2018 and landing a $50M rookie deal
By Zachary Pereles Apr 23, 2026 at 8:25 pm ET • 2 min read 
Getty Images Running backs like Jeremiyah Love don't come around too often, and the Cardinals ensured they weren't going to miss out. Arizona selected Love third overall Thursday, making the former Notre Dame star the earliest running back selected since Saquon Barkley went second to the Giants in 2018.
Love is tied with Trent Richardson (No. 3 to the Browns in 2012) for the fourth-earliest running back selection in the entire 21st century. Barkley, Reggie Bush (No. 2 to the Saints in 2006) and Ronnie Brown (No. 2 to the Dolphins in 2005) are tied for the highest-drafted running backs this century.
No running back has been drafted first overall since 1995, when the Bengals selected Ki-Jana Carter.
A unanimous selection to the CBS Sports College Football All-America Team last year, Love ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns (on 6.9 yards per carry) for the Fighting Irish. Overall, he posted 1,652 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns, finishing third in Heisman Trophy.
Love was CBS Sports lead NFL Draft scout Mike Renner's No. 7 overall prospect in the class.
Love is what everyone looks for at running back nowadays. He's a true home-run hitter with elite contact balance and explosiveness. With the rise of NFL defenses playing light boxes, Love can force teams to bring a safety into the box.
Overall, Love becomes the 24th running back to go in the top three picks in the modern draft era (since 1967). Only five of those 24 instances have been in the last 30 years.
Highest-drafted RBs since 1967
PlayerOverall pickTeamYearKi-Jana Carter1Bengals1995Bo Jackson1Buccaneers1986George Rogers1Saints1981Billy Sims1Lions1980Earl Campbell 1Titans1978Ricky Bell1Buccaneers1977O.J. Simpson 1Bills1969Saquon Barkley2Giants2018Reggie Bush2Saints2006Ronnie Brown2Dolphins2005Marshall Faulk 2Colts1994Blair Thomas2Jets1990Eric Dickerson 2Rams1983Tony Dorsett 2Cowboys1977Bo Matthews2Chargers1974Clint Jones2Vikings1967Jeremiyah Love3Cardinals2026Trent Richardson3Browns2012Garrison Hearst3Cardinals1993Barry Sanders 3Lions1989Alonzo Highsmith3Titans1987Curt Warner3Seahawks1983Freeman McNeil3Jets1981Chuck Muncie3Saints1976Along with the high draft billing, Love will get a major payday, too. Per Spotrac's rookie wage scale, Love will receive a four-year, $50.5 million deal as the No. 3 pick. That already puts him among the position's highest-paid players in terms of average annual value.
Highest-paid RBs
PlayerAAVSaquon Barkley$20.6MChristian McCaffrey$19MDerrick Henry$15MKenneth Walker III$14.3MBreece Hall$14.2MJonathan Taylor$14MJeremiyah Love$12.6MAlso, because rookie contracts are guaranteed, he will have the most guaranteed money of any running back contract by a wide margin. Barkley's $36 million guaranteed was the highest in the league.
In Arizona, Love joins a backfield that also includes James Conner and others. As the first pick of new coach Mike LaFleur, Love will see a considerable workload immediately and look to provide a major boost to an offense that finished 31st in rushing yards and 27th in explosive rush rate last year.
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