Could Cleveland Browns Really Select Jeremiyah Love at No. 6 Overall in NFL Draft?

Depending on who you listen to, the 2026 NFL Draft’s best player available could be either Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, or Notre Dame’s running back, Jeremiyah Love.

Even at such a devalued position in draft terms, where selecting running backs inside the Top-10 is an automatic no-no, Love is currently being projected as a Top-5 or Top-8 pick.

But even after a breakout season by 2025 second-rounder Quinshon Judkins, could the Browns entertain the idea of taking Love at sixth overall, should he still be available by the time the Browns are called on the clock?

Why the Cleveland Browns Should Select Jeremiyah Love

General managers love talking about drafting the best player available, even if factual evidence normally points towards filling team needs or lining up draft value with positional value most of the time.

However, there’s no question that Love is an intriguing prospect. Player comparisons from Love range from Reggie Bush (2006, 2nd overall) to Darren McFadden (2008, 4th overall) and Saquon Barkley (2018, 2nd overall) to Jahmyr Gibbs (2023, 12th overall).

A highly athletic prospect with blazing speed and elite elusiveness, Love is set to impact the run game, but also the pass game for whomever gets ti add him to their roster.

Cleveland needs as many playmakers as it can get its hands on, especially after a season where no wide receiver caught more than two touchdown passes, and an offseason where David Njoku walked in free agency. The Browns are holding an open competition for the quarterback job, and any help available will be received with open arms.

Running back is not considered a priority after Judkins’ rookie season, but Love is a whole different kind of running back, capable of striking from any point on the field. And, despite Judkins’ presence, a closer look at his 2025 stats reveal a need for bigger plays from the backfield. Judkins averaged a paltry 3.6 yards a carry for the year, and failed to even reach the 3.0 yard per carry mark in five games, including his last three. He’s also coming off a dislocated right ankle and fractured fibula which cut his debut season short.

A 1-2 punch with Love and Judkins could catapult the Browns into another offensive level, if the team can figure out the exact formula to dividing carries.

Why the Cleveland Browns Shouldn’t Select Jeremiyah Love

The Browns have been extremely diligent meeting with offensive linemen and wide receivers through the pre-draft process, but so far no meeting has been reported with a running back.

A big chunk of Cleveland’s woes from last year, apart from lowly quarterback play, was the predictability of the offense. The Browns were a running team on early downs and a passing team on late downs, with little variance. Love could provide a big spark from the backfield, but how much of that can translate into a better passing attack, especially after not investing a high first-round pick on a game-changing wideout.

And, if you’re planning on lining Love up all over the field to get him involved in the passing attack, aren’t you just better off picking a wideout in the first place?

The Browns current quarterback room might look vastly different in 12 months from now, and picking up Love -- considered a generational talent -- in 2026 could be a good move. But a team like the Browns is desperate to win now, and general manager Andrew Berry might have already run out of lives in charge of the front office.

The payoff for Love could be a little higher in the long run, but I’m not sure the Browns can afford to think long-term. They need to find a way to make any one of their current quarterbacks like an NFL-level passer, and adding better blocking up front coupled with better targets seem like the best path forward.