Jason Leach
We’re just weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft, and there’s wide speculation on what the New York Giants will do with the fifth overall pick.
Some mock drafts have the Giants taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, which seems surprising since New York already has a great 1-2 punch with Tyrone Tracy Jr and Cam Skattebo. The team also restructured the contract of Devin Singletary to be their third-string tailback. Adding Love to this mix would give the team an embarrassment of riches at the running back position.
But head coach John Harbaugh likes having a workhorse running back who can be one of the best in the league, having coached Derrick Henry for the last two seasons. Henry finished second in the league in rushing yards in 2024 and 2025, and the Baltimore Ravens finished first and second in the league in rushing in those seasons.
New York finished fifth in the league in rushing last season (129.1 yards per game) in large part due to Tracy and Skattebo. But Love has a higher projected ceiling than both of them, and some feel he can be as dynamic as Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs or Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.
In his three years with the Fighting Irish, Love rushed for 2,882 yards on 433 carries with 36 rushing touchdowns. He was also an excellent receiver, catching 63 passes for 594 yards with six receiving touchdowns. In 2025, he was named First-Team All-American and won the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back, and finished third in the Heisman.
The All-American running back’s draft stock rose even further after an impressive showing at the NFL Combine, where he ran 4.36 in the 40-yard dash and recorded a 10-yard split of 1.55 seconds. It’s clear that he is the consensus top running back in this draft class and might be the only back taken in the first round.
Given Harbaugh’s resume of only having one season where his team had five wins or fewer, this might be his only chance to draft a back who is one of the best in the league and have him under a rookie contract for a few seasons.
Related: What We’ve Learned About the New York Giants In Free Agency
Who would be the odd man out in the crowded backfield?
If Big Blue were to take Love, saying they would have a crowded backfield would be a huge understatement. This would prompt the team to trade one of their talent backs, and Tracy would be the likely candidate.
Tracy has been highly productive in his two seasons, having over 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of them. There are a number of teams where he could be an immediate starter, and we could see Big Blue pull the trigger on a trade on Day 2 or 3 of the NFL Draft.
One of the possible trade partners would be the Jacksonville Jaguars, who finished last season with a 13-4 record and won the AFC South. But the Jaguars lost Travis Etienne Jr in free agency to the New Orleans Saints after he rushed for 1,107 yards with seven rushing touchdowns to go along with 36 receptions for 292 yards, and a team high six receiving touchdowns.
Currently, the Jaguars do not have a back who has rushed for more than 500 yards in a season. Given the fact that Jacksonville has three third-round picks (81st, 88th, and 100th overall) and two fifth-round picks (164th & 166th overall), they might be willing to trade to acquire the versatile Tracy.
Getting an additional pick or picks would allow New York to address other needs, such as offensive guard or corner. The Jaguars would benefit because with their limited cap space, they’ll acquire a dynamic back in his rookie contract.
All of this is speculation as the Giants could be satisfied with their backfield and elect to take one of the top prospects for Ohio State in either Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, or Carnell Tate. Or perhaps they take one of the top corners or guards in this year’s class.
But if they draft Love, it’s because the team feels he will be one of the best backs in the league, and can give New York their version of the triplets with him, Jaxson Dart, and Malik Nabers, who will all be under rookie contracts this season. This would give Big Blue one of the best sets of skill-position players for years to come.
