NFL draft has a 'special' player everyone knows about but he may not go in top 5

The NFL draft’s best prospect isn’t going to be selected No. 1 because that slot is reserved for quarterback Fernando Mendoza. But here’s the surprising thing: The most dynamic, versatile and complete prospect, who is no secret to anyone, isn’t even guaranteed of getting picked in the Top 5.

Jeremiyah Love is that guy despite the fact he’s the guy most NFL evaluators see as "special."

But because he’s a running back, a position devalued by some NFL teams the last few years, Love will be fortunate to sneak into the Top 5 even in a draft that doesn’t offer many can’t-miss prospects.

"I certainly think there's a cluster of players up there that we really like," Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said. "But in particular Jeremiyah, I think he's a special player.

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"…The speed, he can do things out of the backfield as a receiver. But there's also a group of edge guys up there, that are really good too, so I think we'll have some really good options there at four."

Borgonzi's Titans indeed hold the No. 4 overall selection, but notice he didn’t say the edge guys are "special" enough to add with that pick. Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach indeed mentioned there is no Myles Garrett or Will Anderson in this draft.

But, meanwhile, the idea that Love is special is not unique.

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It’s practically universal.

"Yeah, he’s special," Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. "I think if you look, you think about some of the, let’s say, dual threat backs that the league has had. 

"You know, obviously, Christian McCaffrey may be the poster child for that. Jahmyr Gibbs may be, kind of the next generation of that.  Jeremiyah certainly has a lot of those abilities and capabilities.  He’s a very dynamic prospect."

The New York Giants own the No. 5 overall selection, as well as the No. 10 pick following their trade of Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals over the weekend.

Would the team that traded future 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley three years ago do something of an about-face in valuing a running back such as Love with the No. 5 pick?

Maybe, because he’s not merely a running back in the eyes of Giants GM Joe Schoen.

"He's an offensive weapon," said Schoen, who also pointed out he thinks his running back room is well stocked. "He's not just a running back. He can play on 3rd down. You can split him out. He can catch the ball.

"Certainly an offensive weapon."

So we should all get it by now: Jeremiyah Love is  "special" because he makes an offense multi-dimensional by both running and catching the football at a high level.  And that ultimately makes the quarterback better.

But at what cost? That's the problem NFL evaluators are asking themselves as they set their draft boards.

Why take a player who doesn’t play a premium position – quarterback, offensive tackle, edge rusher – with a premium high pick?

That’s the issue that might hold Love back like no defensive player could the last few years while he gained 2,498 rushing yards, averaged 6.9 yards per rush, and scored a combined 40 TDs.

A few years ago, you see, NFL teams decided running backs aren’t as important as in the past. They decided it’s a pass-first league and runners lost value – as the veterans that hit free agency from 2020-2024 found out.

That’s the reason Barkley has been the only running back selected in the Top 5 dating back to 2018.

But something interesting began happening maybe the past couple of years as offenses devalued running backs. Defenses decided they didn’t need to deploy assets to defend against the runners. They instead put extra defensive backs and fewer run-stopping linebackers on the field in order to stop the pass.

And here's the good news for Love: As a counter to address the smart aleck defenses, offenses started running the ball more against units deployed to defend the pass.

The pendulum is swinging back to add value to running backs, especially dual-threat running backs like McCaffrey, Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and De’Von Achane.

So a dual-threat runner such as Love can have hope his his abilities won’t be as devalued in the future as it might have been a few years ago. That's why Love might still get into the Top 5 of Thursday's first round.

"Well, listen, look, all positions aren’t created equal," Berry admitted, "but ultimately you are looking for difference makers and, like, elite level talent."