The Pros and Cons of Daniel Jeremiah's Vikings Trade to Draft Jeremiyah Love

As many of the league's top free-agent running backs went off the board on Monday, the chance of the top running back in the draft, Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, falling to the Minnesota Vikings at pick No. 18 may have increased slightly.

As we noted yesterday, the Vikings still have to hope teams like the Titans, Giants, Commanders, Cowboys, and Rams don't select Love before Minnesota goes on the clock. That's what makes NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's proposal so interesting.

Jeremiah would like to see the Vikings trade up with the Commanders for the No. 7 pick, where they would, in his hypothetical situation, draft Love and pair him with quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

"You're sitting there with pick No. 18, and you look at the way this draft is shaking out, and you look at a team like Washington, who's picking seventh," Jeremiah began enthusiastically. "Washington, at that point in time, they do not have a second-round pick. They do not have a fourth-round pick. They only have six picks overall. I think there's a way Minnesota could get from 18 to 7 without even parting with next year's 1. I think they have two threes this year; it could be a second-round pick next year."

I’d love this marriage pic.twitter.com/6G5wx8KvBY
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 9, 2026

So, in Jeremiah's eyes, the Vikings could trade the 18th, 82nd, and 97th picks this year, plus their second-round pick next year, to move up to No. 7 to take Love.

In the real world, this trade would have to happen right after the Browns make their pick at No. 6, and Love would obviously still have to be available. The alternative is just hoping Love slides, but there's no guarantee that the Commanders won't take Love if they don't trade back, and it feels impossible that Jerry Jones would pass on Love if he's available to the Cowboys at No. 12.

"The Notre Dame RB is the top player on my board," Todd McShay wrote in his independent BeeHiiv blog on Tuesday. "Could he really fall out of the top 10 picks?"

Jeremiyah Love | Michael Longo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When big-time draft analysts like McShay are starting to wonder about Love falling out of the top 10, it's intriguing to wonder what might happen. But, again, Love to Dallas at 12 seems like a lock if he's still on the board.

The most believable reaction to Monday's free agency is that teams like the Chiefs and Saints addressed their running back needs because they're convinced that Love won't be available when they pick 8th and 9th, respectively.

That makes a lot of sense considering Love's NFL comp from Lance Zeirlein is Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs was the 12th overall pick in 2023, the same year Bijan Robinson was the top running back selected, when he went 8th overall to the Falcons. If Love is as productive as Gibbs and Robinson, teams are going to pounce, possibly within the first five picks.

It's hard not to get excited about the idea of Love in Kevin O'Connell's offense, which has never had a truly explosive star at the running back position. An offense with Murray, Love, Jefferson, and Addison would give defenses all kinds of things to worry about. That could be a remarkably balanced and dynamic attack.

However, trading four top-100 picks for a running back might not be the best idea for a team that needs an infusion of young players on rookie contracts after former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah whiffed on so many players in the past four drafts. The Vikings have plenty of other needs to address in this draft (including center, defensive tackle, and the secondary), which would be a lot trickier to do well if they deal away both of their third-round picks.

Could the Vikings be almost as dangerous on offense by keeping their picks and drafting a different running back — like Nebraska's Emmett Johnson or Arkansas' Mike Washington Jr. — in the second or third round? That's a decision they may have to make if the opportunity to trade up for Love presents itself during the draft.