Need to Know! Get to know new Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love

· Yahoo Sports

When the Arizona Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur away from the Los Angeles Rams, they knew that they were getting a keen offensive mind and that things would be changing pretty rapidly.

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The free agency period saw the Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort sign 11 offensive players, including four along the offensive line alone. That’s quite a bit of attention dedicated to one side of the ball.

RELATED: TOP RUNNING BACK LANDS WITH ARIZONA

Was it a surprise that Ossenfort took Love with the #3 overall pick? Maybe. Or maybe that was the plan all along. Offensive coaches need offensive players. And this one is a stud. A beast. A rare commodity.  

Who is Jeremiyah Love? How much time do you have?

Beginnings

Love grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and lived there all of his life until he left for college. His family ended up in Walnut Park, located in the northwest corner of St. Louis. The neighborhood was known as a violent area of the city and had seen its share of shootings, drug activity, missing fathers, and a police presence.

His father, Jason Love, is an Army veteran and the player’s first football coach. His mother, L’Tonya Love, was employed with the St. Louis Police Department and eventually became a sergeant. The couple only had two children: Jeremiyah and a sister, Jaela. Needless to say, both of his parents were hardworking. His mother’s schedule as a police supervisor did not come with a cushy office or even scheduling breaks. She missed a lot of Jeremiyah’s events growing up.

But one thing the parents instilled into their son was discipline, confidence, and resilience. Okay, that’s three things. By living each day in the bad part of town, his parents used tutors, after-school activities, and sports as buffers for their two children. But his mother missed a lot of practices, games, holidays, and birthdays due to the demands of her job. But that is what responsible parents do: they work, they provide, they take on tasks that nobody else will.

Early on, his parents thought he had autism and spent years trying to manage their son’s distinctive mannerisms and behaviors. They found competition of any kind to be an outlet and helped manage his actions. But his God-fearing parents raised him right with accountability. That’s what happens when you stay married and raise your kids right.

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Jason and Jeremiyah have a pregame ritual that goes back to when the player was just six years old. His father would find his son before kickoff, grab him by the helmet, and then say what needs to be said. It’s a moment only shared between father and son and continued to the college gridiron.

Love attended Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis. He played basketball, football, and ran track.

As a sophomore, Love won the Missouri Class 5 state championship in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.76. The world record is 9.58. He also competed in the 200 meters with a best time of 22.11, and the long jump (22’- 1.75”).

But football was his calling. In his junior year, he rushed for 9996 yards and scored 14 TDs as Christian Brothers won the 6A state championship. As a senior, Love had 1,291 yards on 140 carries with 22 touchdowns, plus he added 370 receiving yards with an additional five TDs.

For his high school career, Love’s accolades were:

  • Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year
  • Metro Catholic Conference Offensive Player of the Year
  • Missouri Class 6 Offensive Player of the Year
  • Two-time First Team MSHSAA All-State
  • Two-time First Team All-Metro team
  • Watkins Award winner
  • Under Armour All-American

During his senior year, Love had accumulated 34 college scholarship offers and ranked as the nation’s #4 running back by rivals.com. Name a major college program, and Love has a letter from them.

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Blessed with elite speed and a strict work ethic instilled in him by his father, Love chose Notre Dame. There, he had 433 attempts for 2,882 yards with 36 rushing touchdowns, a 6.7 yards per carry average, plus added 63 receptions for 594 yards with an additional six scores. He also returned three kickoffs for a 14.0 average.

His Pro Day results:

Height: 6’-0”

Weight: 212 pounds

Hand: 9-1/8”

Arm: 32”

Wingspan: 78 1/8”

40-yard dash: 4.36

10-yard shuttle: 1.55

3-cone:

225-pound bench press:

Vertical jump: 39”

Broad jump: 10’-8”

College games: 41

College snaps: 1,019

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Follow on social media:

Twitter: @JeremiyahLove

Instagram: @jeremiyahlove

What should Cardinals fans expect from Jeremiyah Love?

Love is a huge fan of anime and has his own comic book series titled Jeremonstar. How many pro football players can say that? He is durable and has never missed a game in high school or college. Love is a legit pass catcher out of the backfield. He’s shown himself to be a weapon on downfield routes out of the backfield, but his length, speed, and hands also allow coaches to line him up in the slot, or even outside, and allow him to run routes against matchups that work in his favor. 

WHY HE COULD SUCCEED:

This kid is a class act, high character, and soft-spoken. He is a track star who just so happens to have played football. Although he was highly decorated at the high school level, he wasn’t thrown the ball all that much at the college level.

One word: Home run speed. Okay, that’s three words.

Very patient runner who runs with more power than his frame suggests. Decisive jump cuts allow him to wait for gaps to spread. Decent and willing blocker, soft hands, natural ball-tracking ability in routes, and outstanding balance. 

Outstanding ball security with just one fumble in his college career. Will hit creases with great burst and good YAC numbers. Real weapon in all aspects of his game, and never has to leave the field of play. Zone concepts are where he is the most dangerous.

College accolades:

  • Unanimous All-American
  • Disney’s Sports Spirit Award winner
  • Doak Walker Award winner
  • Finalist: Heisman Trophy
  • Finalist: Walter Camp Award
WHY HE COULD FAIL:

He needs discipline and detail in his blocking when held in. Love also enjoys hurdle jumping during games, which opens him up to undue contact and dangerous falls. Although he is a good receiver, his route tree is very limited. In college, his receiving was basically limited to flare-out passes in the flats. He can also miss cutback lanes on occasion with forward vision.

Will his 212-pound frame take the beating of 20+ carries at the next level? Should he add on at least another 10 pounds? Love may be considered undersized, which makes it difficult to handle blitz blocking.

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