Draft Experts Are Dead Wrong About the Cardinals’ No. 3 Pick

Draft experts are pushing the Cardinals to take a running back at No. 3 — but this move could be a costly mistake for the franchise’s future.

Nov 22, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates scoring against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- All eyes will be on general manager Monti Ossenfort when the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around and the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock with the third overall pick.

The Cardinals, hitting the reset button after firing Jonathan Gannon, can go numerous ways with their pick — though two recent mock drafts by well respected experts have them making a questionable decision with so much riding on the line.

Todd McShay and Mel Kiper both had the Cardinals taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3:

Todd McShay

"It appears the Cardinals are ready to move on from Kyler Murray, but with Moore and Mendoza gone and Ty Simpson projected to return to school, Arizona has a tough call between arguably the best talent in the draft (Love) and the top offensive lineman in the class, Francis Mauigoa (who some teams project at right tackle and others project at guard)," wrote McShay.

"While running backs represent poor positional value this early in the draft, I love what I’ve seen from the Notre Dame star. He ranked fourth in the FBS with 39 rushes of 10-plus yards this season, fourth in breakaway percentage among FBS RBs with 100 or more snaps, and he forced 56 missed tackles. He’s in the Bijan Robinson–Ashton Jeanty tier as a prospect.

"If this draft had a Joe Alt–level talent at tackle, I would have Arizona selecting that player. But it doesn’t, so I’m going with Love, who fills a need and could be the face of the Cardinals offense on day one of his rookie season."

Mel Kiper

"It's tough for me because I get screamed at a lot for my philosophy ... I'm going to go Jeremiyah Love. I'm a big Notre Dame guy, Jeremiyah Love is two players wrapped up in one. He's a guy who you can flank out wide, he can catch the ball and he's a dynamic playmaker. He's a true gamebreaker," said Kiper.

"These running backs now, you see what they're able to do and you see how key they are to football teams and how far they go ... Now could Arizona trade out of there? That's kind of been there history, move down and get extra picks? Sure they could. We're not projecting any trades right now, so it's a need area and you're getting a guy who can help out in the receiving game immensely, and that's another area of concern for them."

Why This Would Be Massive Mistake

There's no doubting Love is a tremendous prospect who should find success at the next level.

It just doesn't make sense for where Arizona currently is at.

The Cardinals have other prominent areas that need to be resolved before they can think about bringing on another running back after taking Trey Benson on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The jury is still out on Benson, and with James Conner ending this season on injured reserve for practically the entire year, the Cardinals' running back room isn't quite clear entering the offseason.

However, part of Arizona's lack of success running the ball this season stemmed from poor offensive line play. That's not going to change with Love or any top running back in Arizona's backfield.

The running back position is seeing a resurgence across the league, which quite honestly is fun and deserved for the spot. However, it's still devalued, and Arizona needs to allocate their premier resources elsewhere if they're serious about competing.

Simply put, the Cardinals have to fix the trenches before thinking about adding a running back — especially at third overall. That'd be the definition of a luxury pick, and that's something Arizona can't afford at the moment.