Draft Prospect Jeremiyah Love Weighs In on the Vikings
By ending the final five games of the season and clinching the 18th overall pick, the Minnesota Vikings have potentially played themselves out of reach of the top talent in April’s Draft. One of those premier players is running back Jeremiyah Love, who is a decent fit for the Vikings. During Super Bowl week, the Notre Dame product responded positively when asked about the Vikings.
In a video of The Paul Farrington Show, Love was asked about the Vikings and his answer was, “Minnesota? I’d be blessed to go there. A lot of great guys.”
Comments like Love’s are common during the pre-draft process, particularly when prospects are asked about established franchises with clear offensive identities. For players projected near the top of the first round, those moments are often more about professionalism than preference.
Yet, the Vikings have built a reputation around the league as an attractive destination for offensive skill players, thanks in large part to Kevin O’Connell’s system and the presence of elite playmakers. Even brief reactions like Love’s tend to reinforce how Minnesota is viewed externally as the draft approaches.
Head coach O’Connell would certainly love to get his hands on the Heisman Trophy finalist. He only had to concede to quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Diego Pavia and was undoubtedly one of the elite players in the country.
Over the last couple of seasons, Love generated 2,497 yards on the ground, as well as another 517 yards as a pass-catcher. He found the endzone a whopping 40 times in that span.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his scouting report, “Three-phase running back capable of stressing defenses with big-play speed and untapped pass-catching value … He’s a talented route runner and pass catcher who can work from the slot and mismatch linebackers. Love is a three-down, scheme-independent player who would benefit from a complementary back to preserve his big-play ability.”
Still only 20 years old, Love features the size of a true workhorse running back and has the speed to be a home run threat on any given down. In each of the last two campaigns, he scored a touchdown of over 90 yards.
That explosive element has been missing in the Vikings’ running attack. In fact, only two Vikings players recorded runs of 50 yards or more over the last three seasons and those were Cam Akers and Jordan Addison. None of Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, Jordan Mason, or Aaron Jones got that done. In the same timeframe, the Vikings recorded 20-yard runs just 18 times, ranking them among the three worst teams in that category.
The Vikings could be in the market for a running back. Sure, Jones and Mason are still under contract for the 2026 season, but Jones is a popular cut candidate given the salary cap deficit, his contract, and the injury history, in addition to his age.
Love would be an immediate difference-maker on offense. Unfortunately, he might not be within reach. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, Love ranks 10th on the consensus board that takes countless mock drafts from the industry into account.
That range typically places him in the conversation for teams picking in the top third of the round, particularly franchises looking to add an immediate-impact offensive piece rather than a developmental prospect. Whether Minnesota views a running back as worthy of that kind of investment remains one of the bigger questions surrounding its draft strategy.
Trading up to select a running back in this day-and-age doesn’t seem like the best idea. The good news is that runners could tumble down the draft board, as they aren’t viewed as a premium position. This year’s free agency class is expected to include several capable veterans at the position and franchises could fill their RB room in March.
The Vikings could go in various directions with their first-round pick. A running back cannot be ruled out, and Love’s acquisition could revive the average-at-best running game that used to carry the franchise during the Adrian Peterson days, but also with Dalvin Cook getting RB1 snaps.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.