{"id":515564,"date":"2026-01-14T13:24:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/515564\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:24:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:24:12","slug":"notre-dame-rb-jeremiyah-love-predicted-to-land-with-the-dallas-cowboys-in-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/515564\/","title":{"rendered":"Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love Predicted to Land With the Dallas Cowboys in 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys<\/a> may be preparing one of the boldest moves of the 2026 NFL<\/a> Draft, signaling a potential shift in how the league values the running back position. With two first-round picks this year, Dallas gets just one selection in this mock, but it promises to be both exciting and well worth the wait.<\/p>\n

Jeremiyah Love and the Cowboys: A Perfect Fit<\/p>\n

In a recent mock draft by football analyst\u00a0Josh Weil, Notre Dame running back\u00a0Jeremiyah Love, one of college football\u2019s most electric playmakers over the past two seasons, was projected to land in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Weil has the Cowboys trading up into the top 10, jumping to\u00a0No. 8 overall in a deal with the New Orleans Saints<\/a>, to select Love. If it plays out that way, it would be a massive statement not only for the Cowboys but for the running back market as a whole.<\/p>\n

Weil explained the reasoning behind the move clearly:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis pick was where I felt the draft could get a bit spicy. I think the Saints would benefit from moving back and adding two first-round-level talents more than picking at eight. After seeing what the Cowboys did with Javonte Williams<\/a>, bringing in a bell-cow-style back with massive potential could bring them back to the prime Ezekiel Elliott days,\u201d Weil wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cLove is head and shoulders above any running back prospect in this draft, and there will be several teams looking to draft him, so I think the Cowboys jump ahead to take the Heisman finalist here,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The logic behind the projection makes sense when broken down.<\/p>\n

Javonte Williams had a solid season in Dallas, but he is set to hit free agency and will almost certainly be looking for a pay raise.<\/p>\n

While Williams played well, his\u00a0PFSN RB Impact Grade of 71.9, which ranked\u00a041st in the NFL<\/a>, makes him far from untouchable, especially when compared to a prospect like Love.<\/p>\n

Jeremiyah Love graded out as one of the best running backs in college football, earning a\u00a0CFB RB Impact Grade of 92.4<\/a>, placing him in the\u00a0top five nationally. He finished top five in both\u00a0rushing yards\u00a0and\u00a0rushing touchdowns, while also bringing a legitimate\u00a0receiving threat\u00a0that Williams didn\u2019t consistently provide during his lone season in Dallas.<\/p>\n

How Love Could Transform Dallas\u2019 Offense<\/p>\n

From a team-building perspective, this move would enable the Cowboys to reset the position. Drafting Love gives Dallas at least four years on a rookie contract, with the option of a franchise tag afterward, locking in a premier offensive weapon at a manageable cost during Dak Prescott<\/a>\u2019s competitive window.<\/p>\n

Weil\u2019s comparison to the Ezekiel Elliott era is especially important. The Cowboys were at their best when they had a true bell-cow back controlling the game. A dominant run game helps dictate the time of possession, increases physicality at the line of scrimmage, and keeps the defense fresher by limiting the number of snaps.<\/p>\n

There will be plenty of fans who argue Dallas should focus on defense instead. That argument isn\u2019t wrong; the Cowboys graded out as the worst defensive team in the NFL, according to PFSN\u2019s Impact Grade, at 62.1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, the defense showed improvement after the additions of Quinnen Williams<\/a> and Logan Wilson<\/a>, and an elite run game would only amplify that progress by keeping opponents off the field.<\/p>\n

Add in the potential boost to the play-action passing game, which could jump from good to elite, and even Dak Prescott himself could see another level unlocked. Suddenly, this isn\u2019t just a running back pick; it\u2019s a move that could elevate the entire roster.<\/p>\n

Would Cowboys fans be divided? Absolutely. Some would be shocked, some thrilled, and some angry, but that\u2019s just Dallas being Dallas.<\/p>\n

If the Cowboys do make the leap for Jeremiyah Love<\/a>, it would be a bold, forward-thinking move that could reshape their offense and restore the identity that once made them one of the most dangerous teams in football.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s be honest, Love would look pretty good wearing that star, chasing the legacy of the next great Cowboys running back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys may be preparing one of the boldest moves of the 2026 NFL Draft, signaling a…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":515565,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-515564","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-texas","11":"tag-tx","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-united-states-of-america","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115893677128296565","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}