Going into the 2026 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders are in somewhat of a tough spot. Owning the no. 7 overall selection, but not picking again until 71, means they have to get this pick right, barring a trade back.
Of course, one of the more tempting and tantalizing ideas of the draft would be for Washington to give quarterback Jayden Daniels a top offensive weapon with this pick. And, in the eyes of NFL Draft guru Dane Brugler, that's precisely what the Commanders do here.
In Brugler's latest 7-round mock draft, he has Washington going with star Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Brugler calls a backfield with Daniels and Love "bad news" for opposing defenses, and he'd be right.
The Washington Commanders could end all running back experiments by making Jeremiyah Love the pick at 7
We are going to ignore the fact that Washington now has to wait another 64 picks to make a selection and roll with the excitement behind potentially landing Love to pair with Daniels.
Nothing against guys like Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez, Brian Robinson, Jeremy McNichols and Rachaad White, but Love is in a completely different stratosphere. In recent years, the Commanders simply haven't had that difference maker in their back field.
Drafting Love gives them a player who does everything well at the position. He has the explosiveness and speed to break the big runs. He excels in the passing game. His vision and footwork are top-notch.
Again, he's a rare breed.
This type of running back doesn't present itself too often; maybe once every other year or so. While some drafts have true, elite talents at certain positions, it's rare to find more than one running back of top-tier caliber in a draft class.
In the past few drafts, you've had players like Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Ashton Jeanty. Even putting Jeanty in that conversation seems a bit premature.
In this class, it's Love in a tier of his own. Then, you have to skip a couple of tiers to get to prospects like Jadarian Price, Jonah Coleman and others within that Day 2 range. Love is by far and away a top-5 prospect in this class, regardless of position, and the Commanders could change the face of this offense with a selection like him.
Daniels' rushing prowess is obviously a big part of the offense when he's healthy, but imagine having another elite rushing threat on the field at the same time. Even in a league that's favored quarterbacks in recent seasons, we still see that the teams who can run the ball better than most are the teams who win more often than not.
The Commanders could easily have the league's top rushing attack in Love's rookie year. Washington finished no. 4 in the NFL in rushing last season, and most average fans wouldn't even be able to tell you that, especially because of the fact Daniels wasn't healthy for a large portion of the year.
Add Love to the mix, and you have a serious problem for opposing defenses.
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