Could Notre Dame Star Jeremiyah Love Be the Perfect Shield for Daniels?

The Washington Commanders currently have one running back under contract for the 2026 NFL season, making Notre Dame Fighting Irish Heisman Trophy finalist Jeremiyah Love a very popular name in mock drafts this offseason.

With the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Commanders have a golden opportunity to land a blue-chip player. Adding one like Love not only bolsters the offense but also strengthens the foundation of the roster around young talent, allowing general manager Adam Peters to take bigger swings in free agency.

With quarterback Jayden Daniels missing as much time as he did in 2025, however, there’s also an element of protecting the franchise quarterback in Washington to making Love the pick, at least for some.

Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball for a touchdown in the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The case for a first-round running back

“There might not be a better way to help Jayden Daniels bounce back from a rough Year 2,” NFL.com’s Dan Parr says in his recent mock draft selecting Love for the Commanders. “With Love joining the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year in the Commanders’ backfield, Washington’s run game would be dizzying to defend.”

Paired with excitement over offensive coordinator David Blough’s recent comments about putting Daniels under center more in the coming season than he has before, the thought of Love joining the Washington backfield is an exciting one.

A cautionary tale from Las Vegas

Of course, running backs are a dependent position, and can only showcase their talents with at least adequate blocking in front of them. When the Las Vegas Raiders spent a high pick on Ashton Jeanty coming out of the Boise State program, they did so with a subpar offensive line.

The results were predictable, as Jeanty floundered behind a line that couldn’t open lanes for him or even keep defenders from hitting him in the backfield over and over again during his rookie season.

Why Washington is different

Fortunately, Washington doesn’t have that problem. I’m not saying the Commanders have the best offensive line in the NFL, but it proved to be capable of protecting quarterbacks and opening lanes for running backs Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jacory Croskey-Merritt in 2025, leading to many of us wondering why the offense didn’t feature the duo more during the early part of the season.

The biggest soft spot in the run blocking came at left guard, where Chris Paul stepped into the starting job for the Commanders, replacing Brandon Coleman, who wound up getting late-season reps at left tackle.

It’s currently unknown whether Paul will be back as an unrestricted free agent, whether the team will look to reinsert Coleman into that position, or whether the team will approach free agency looking for an upgrade. Regardless, whatever path Washington takes at left guard, the line should be sufficient enough to allow a high-caliber rookie like Love to thrive. The more he does, the more it would help Daniels and new offensive coordinator David Blough attack defenses off of that ground attack.

The attraction is easy to see, and if Peters makes moves in the offseason to allow him this ‘luxury’ pick at No. 7, it would certainly project his offense to be one of the most versatile and explosive in the 2026 NFL season.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 season.

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