A video of Jeremiyah Love finishing his 40-yard dash at the 2026 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium and then casually flipping backward as the running back group left the field has been making the rounds on social media. It was more than just bragging.
It was a statement the measurements behind that backflip are precisely what you would anticipate from a player who, since his time at Notre Dame, scouts had been subtly referring to as a generational talent. Love weighs about 210 pounds and is 5 feet 11 inches tall. For an NFL running back, those numbers might not seem unbelievable on paper. Context is crucial.
He finished second among all running backs that day at the Combine with a 40-yard dash time of 4.36 seconds, only surpassed by Mike Washington Jr. of Arkansas with a time of 4.33. He was selected third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft because of his explosiveness, weight contact balance, which allowed him to easily outpace opponents. Arizona did not purchase a number on a scale for $53 million. They paid for the real-time football equivalent of those numbers.
Love’s physical profile is truly intriguing because it complements his playing style. Running backs who weigh close to 210 pounds occupy a sweet spot where they are both light enough to threaten the perimeter and accelerate thru second-level gaps and heavy enough to absorb punishment in between tackles.
Love set a program record for players with 200 or more carries during his time at Notre Dame, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. That is not a peculiarity of statistics. Even seasoned defensive coordinators seemed unprepared for the combination of weight and speed.
It was geometry that led to his 98-yard touchdown run against Indiana in the College Football Playoff. That is not how a larger back withdraws from safeguards. Before the second level, a considerably lighter back is brought down.
It’s also important to consider his track record. As a sophomore at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Love won a Missouri state championship in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.76 seconds.
Watching Love absorb hits at Notre Dame gave me the impression that his slender, compact build was subtly designed for football long before he ever lined up in South Bend. Sprinters frequently have a specific type of muscle density. He was coached in youth football by his father. His mother was a sergeant in the police. His physical discipline seems to be inherited rather than coincidental.
Love’s movement drills at the Combine attracted attention that is difficult to measure. He passed thru the running back station with what scouts called effortlessness, which is a physical quality in and of itself and typically indicates that the athlete isn’t expending needless energy.
After a demanding college season that included 199 carries and 27 receptions in 2025 alone, he reportedly weighed somewhere in the 210-pound range. The body remained upright. For teams writing nine-figure checks, that is important.
Of course, it’s still early. Cardinals fans got their first live look in Preseason Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders when Love blasted thru a hole in the line for a 15-yard gain and added a spin move that caused audible reactions in the stands.
The NFL has a long history of elite college backs who needed time to get used to the fast-paced nature of the game, but whether that translates into consistent regular-season dominance is truly unknown. However, Love’s physical measurements indicate that the raw materials are present.
Observers in Tempe believe the Cardinals may have discovered something exceptional in this 21-year-old, 5-foot-11, 210-pound player with a 4.36 speed and a sprint background that most NFL skill players would envy. The figures support this. The backflip was merely punctuation.