The Washington Commanders and Jeremiyah Love were heavily linked with one another throughout the pre-draft process. The prospect highlighted how excited he would be to link up with quarterback Jayden Daniels, who would instantly form one of the most dynamic backfield tandems in the league.
It was a dream scenario. Unfortunately, the reality painted a very different picture.
The Commanders needed a lot of luck for Love to fall into their laps. Despite the dangers of taking running backs high, this draft boasts very few elite prospects. The Notre Dame product was one of them, and he's more of a prolific offensive weapon than a regular bell-cow ball-carrier in any case.
Commanders' dream of landing Jeremiyah Love ended as most fans expected
Late buzz this week suggested Love was a lock to be taken in the top five picks. Some had him going at No. 3 to the Arizona Cardinals, but no later than the New York Giants at No. 5. As it turned out, the Commanders never really had a shot.
The Arizona Cardinals took the plunge with Love, breaking the hearts of Washington fans who were clinging to the hope of pairing Daniels with the Heisman Trophy finalist. There is no guarantee that general manager Adam Peters would have pulled the trigger. However, it would have been a difficult proposition to turn down with an established offensive line already in place.
Peters had to wait. The Commanders didn't have the ammunition to consider moving up. They don't have a second or fourth-round pick this year after last offseason's trade for Laremy Tunsil. He's typically aggressive, but his hands were tied. And now, Love will get the chance to take the league by storm on the Cardinals, who are crying out for a dual-threat weapon to potentially propel their rebuild.
Love would have been nice, of course. Daniels is crying out for more weapons on offense. The Commanders are well-stocked in the running back room with Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Jerome Ford, and Jeremy McNichols. They are solid enough, but the Cardinals' new focal point has the chance to clear them all by a considerable margin.
Peters is a sound board assessor. He's also a realist.
Washington's front-office leader probably knew that the chances of Love being available were remote. He was never going to put all his chips into that basket, so it's a case of proceeding as planned after luck didn't quite fall in their favor in this instance.
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose.
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