Insider Says Cardinals Made Running Back the Draft’s Biggest Loser

The Arizona Cardinals' selection of Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick sent shockwaves through the league for many different reasons.

The actual selection of Love to the desert wasn't surprising, though it was still an eye-opening moment for the Cardinals to have made Love the highest-drafted running back in nearly a decade.

Part of that shock came from the recent free agent signing of running back Tyler Allgeier, who inked a two-year deal to tote the rock in Arizona in what many expected to be a step up from his days with the Atlanta Falcons behind Bijan Robinson.

That was partly a concern with James Conner restructured and Trey Benson already in the backfield, though Love's arrival, especially as one of the draft's top picks, practically puts him in a worse spot according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, who dubbed Allgeier as his biggest draft loser.

"My draft loser, if you will call him that, would be the Cardinals running back, Tyler Allgeier. Tyler Allgeier was in Atlanta and wanted a larger role, and left Atlanta in free agency to go to Arizona, which paid him $7 million for the upcoming season. He thought he was going to be the lead back there in Arizona, or at least get more work than he got in Atlanta," Schefter said.

"And he goes to Arizona, which he did not expect at the time, would be the team that ultimately would pick Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at number three. But that's exactly what happens on the first night of the draft. The Cardinals coaches loved Jeremiyah Love. The Cardinals' owner, we believe, loved Jeremiyah Love.

"This is an organization that needed a little bit of pizzazz, and they went ahead and took him, I think, to the surprise and disappointment of Tyler Allgeier, who chose that spot because he thought he would have a bigger opportunity that now, of course, will be shrinking much as it did in Atlanta behind Bijan Robinson. He would be my draft loser."

The Cardinals were adamant they were all in on Love, though that doesn't make Allgeier one of the draft's biggest losers.

If any running back out of Arizona's room should be worried, it would be Benson, who now just might find himself on the outside looking in of the roster with Love's addition. Conner isn't in this conversation either, as he was set to have his deal expire after 2026 anyways.

While Allgeier surely won't be getting RB1 carries like maybe he had hoped, getting paid like he is sure isn't going to hurt. He'll also have his body preserved a bit more from not taking as many hits over the course of time, which he might not be complaining about either.

Allgeier should still be a part of what new head coach Mike LaFleur wants to do in 2026. While not ideal, his stock wasn't hit the most out of anybody's in the draft, let alone in his own position group.

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