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There is no debate about who the 2026 NFL Draft's top running back is this draft cycle. Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love has that title locked down. 

Love led all of college football with 35 touchdowns rushing and 40 touchdowns from scrimmage across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and he took a massive leap in production in 2025. He went from averaging 70.3 rushing yards per game in 2024 to 114.3 in 2025, a jump of 44 yards per game. That led to Love earning the 2025 Doak Walker Award as college football's best running back and becoming just the sixth player in FBS history with multiple seasons of averaging over 6.5 yards per carry while amassing at least 15 rushing touchdowns. 

He enters the 2026 draft cycle as this year's 10th-best overall prospect, according to CBS Sports' rankings, but will he actually fly off the board inside the top 10? Let's take a look at five potential landing spots for the Fighting Irish superstar ahead of his 2026 NFL Scouting Combine performance. 

New Orleans Saints (No. 8 overall pick) 

The New Orleans Saints may have found something in 2025 second-round rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who won five of his nine starts, including four of the last five, to end the year. 

However, New Orleans averaged just 18.0 points per game, ranking 28th out of the NFL's 32 teams last season. That figure was the lowest by a Saints offense since 2005, the final season before Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton joined the franchise in 2006. 

Some of that had to do with years of wear and tear catching up to New Orleans' five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara: he produced career lows in yards from scrimmage (657) and scrimmage touchdowns (1) after missing the final six games of the 2025 season with knee and ankle injuries. Kamara, who will turn 31 in the final year of his contract in 2026, could very well be entering his last year as a Saint, and the franchise needs to begin planning for the future. Drafting Love would give New Orleans an ideal successor to the franchise's all-time leading rusher while, simultaneously, providing some much-needed playmaking juice for Shough. 

Kansas City Chiefs (No. 9 overall pick)

The Kansas City Chiefs need an upgrade at the running back position in the worst way. Running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt began the 2025 season so slowly that quarterback Patrick Mahomes needed to be the team's leading rusher with 222 yards on the ground through the first six weeks of the year. 

Hunt ended the season as Kansas City's rushing leader with 611 yards rushing, but both he and Pacheco are set to become free agents this offseason. Hunt is a nice short-yardage back, but he's no longer a bell cow as he enters his age-31 season in 2026. Pacheco cannot be relied upon to stay on the field, considering he missed 14 games over the last two seasons amid various injuries.

That's why Love makes plenty of sense for Kansas City with the ninth overall pick. Mahomes can have a dependable running back to lean on as he eases his way back into action after suffering a torn ACL on Dec. 14 last year. Plus, Eric Bieniemy is back in charge as the Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2026, having spent the 2025 season helping lead the Chicago Bears to the No. 3 rushing attack in the NFL at 144.5 yards rushing per game as Ben Johnson's running backs coach. He would be an ideal coach to pair up with Love. 

Los Angeles Rams (13th overall pick via Atlanta Falcons)

Yes, the Rams just inked running back Kyren Williams to a three-year, $33 million extension, but Los Angeles could make the most of being in the upper half of the draft in 2026 by selecting the best player available at this spot in Love should he fall this far. Selecting Love could embolden the Rams to sell high on Williams and trade him for draft compensation, which would also free up $9.07 million in cap space for the NFC runner-up. Head coach Sean McVay could make sweet, sweet music with Love, who would become the most talented running back he's had since 1017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley.

Baltimore Ravens (14th overall pick)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is an alien. At the age of 31 in 2025, he was the NFL's second-leading rusher with 1,595 rushing yards. That marked his fifth career season with 1,500-plus yards on the ground, tying Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for the most such seasons in NFL history. 

However, Henry is now 32 years old, so it's fair for the Ravens to begin planning for the future at the running back position in order to continue to take some of the rushing burden off of two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson's plate. Jackson was derailed by a hamstring injury this past season, but adding Love would allow the Ravens dynamic dual threat to save his rushing chops for break glass in case of emergency situations, which could extend Jackson's career. Plus, new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle comes over from the Bears where he helped Chicago have the league's No. 3 run game, 144.5 rushing yards per game, under head coach Ben Johnson. This could be an ideal home for Love. 

New York Jets (16th overall pick via Indianapolis Colts)

New York Jets running back Breece Hall, who is a dynamic player, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Given all the various needs the Jets have, it wouldn't make sense for New York to allocate significant cap space to re-sign him. However, New York could use a new lead back for an offense that ranked as the NFL's second-worst in 2025, scoring just 17.6 points per game. Getting Love smack dab in the middle of the first round would be a strong value for the 2026 draft's top rusher. He could help make life a lot easier for whoever ends up being the Jets' starting quarterback in 2026.