Cardinals Called Out Over Jeremiyah Love Pick

There were several selections in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft that were somewhat polarizing, and the Arizona Cardinals taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love was one of them.

On the surface, the pick didn't make a lot of sense.

The Cardinals have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL (they ranked 26th in Pro Football Focus' final O-line rankings last season), and they already have a crowded RB room.

Arizona already had 1,000-yard rusher James Conner under contract, they signed former 1,000-yard rusher Tyler Allgeier earlier in the offseason, and they have 23-year-old former third-round pick Trey Benson as well.

Among those critical of Arizona's draft decision is ESPN's Dan Graziano, who recently wrote that the Cardinals blew it by picking Love and adding to a position of strength.

Graziano points out that Love's $53.02 million contract, which averages $13.25 million per year, makes him the highest-paid RB in the NFL with the seventh-highest annual salary - a luxury the rebuilding Cardinals can't afford right now.

"If they’d taken, for example, Ohio State’s Arvell Reese with that pick, Reese would have made the same $13.125 million per year (35th among edge rushers)," Graziano wrote. "Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, who went one pick later to the Titans, will make an average of $12.7 million over the first four years of his career. That makes him the 32nd-highest-paid wide receiver.

"The Titans have a much better chance to spend the next four years underpaying Tate relative to his performance than the Cardinals have of doing the same with Love. … They are not a win-now team that can look at a running back on an expensive contract as the final missing piece, the way the Eagles did with Barkley when they signed him as a free agent in 2024 and went on to win the Super Bowl."

To Graziano's point, adding Love to the RB room means the Cardinals will have $24.08 million committed to the position next season.

Arizona is likely 2-3 years away from contending for a playoff spot, meaning they'll be investing a large chunk of money in a position that won't do much to help them compete anytime soon.

"The concern is that by the time the Cardinals are likely to contend, they’ll be confronting a contract extension with Love that they might not be able to afford," Graziano added. "Arizona could easily be wasting the early years of his career while paying him a premium salary."

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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 5:43 PM.