While the Kansas City Chiefs ended the 2025 season on a 6-11 record, this year will very likely not be the same, given their status as one of the best teams in the league. And if they want to make a deep run, they’ll need help on both the defensive side of the ball and on offense, especially at running back. After all, their rushing attack finished 25th in the league last season. Enter Jeremiyah Love.
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Several mock drafts have projected that Love could be picked by the Chiefs at No. 9. They already have a great QB in Patrick Mahomes. A running back like Love, who won the Doak Walker Award last year, could become a dynamic duo.
Their mix of veteran depth and late-round youth at the position didn’t help in 2025. So Love really seems like the player they need to pick, even if it means trading up. Cris Carter thinks if the Chiefs do indeed end up signing the Notre Dame prospect, the team will be unstoppable.
“Man, don’t let that happen,” Carter said while weighing in on the potential of the Chiefs signing Love. To drive the point home, Carter even brought up running back Terrell Davis, who was picked in the 1995 draft by Denver. That eventually helped the team and John Elway win two back-to-back Super Bowls.
“Do you remember… When John Elway was struggling winning, yes, they upped their defense… But they went out and got a running back, Terrell Davis. That changed the perspective for Denver for the next five or six years,” said the former wideout.
“And where Patrick Mahomes is, this kind of kid, this breakaway [guy], and he can run between the tackles. His threat to the defense and all the other stuff Andy Reid and them are doing with the best quarterback in the league, you’re talking about a setup for getting the ball in space, out of the backfield [for the long haul]. That’s a perfect match,” added Carter.
Unlike Love, Davis wasn’t a highly coveted prospect in the 1995 draft. He was picked in the sixth round, yet he quickly became a key piece for the team, complementing John Elway’s passing attack with his rushing. His playoff success was especially noteworthy: He won the MVP award at Super Bowl XXXII.
Love could definitely have that type of impact on the Chiefs’ offense. But the thing is, he is projected to go as soon as fourth overall to the Tennessee Titans. That would make him the highest back selected since the Giants drafted Saquon Barkley in 2018.
Some analysts also wonder if the Cardinals could pick him at third overall. At worst, and before the ninth overall pick that the Chiefs hold, Love has been linked with pick No. 8 by the New Orleans Saints. So, it looks like KC will have to trade up for the former Fighting Irish star.
Will it be a good investment for this team? Highly likely, since analysts like Dan Orlovsky have gone as far as to label Love the best player in this draft, even better than Fernando Mendoza, who’s poised to go first overall. Orlovsky found the 6’0″, 212 lbs player running a 4.36 40-yard dash very impressive.
Love had nothing short of a historic year with his college team this past campaign. He racked up 1,372 rushing yards and 18 scores, tying the program record. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry and had a total of 21 combined TDs for the year, the most in program history.
