RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Newsweek — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sources
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. To say Mike LaFleur, first-year head coach of the Arizona Cardinals , was over the moon after drafting Jeremiyah Love would be an understatement.
"What's unique about this guy is he is a man," LaFleur said on "The Rich Eisen Show" in late April. "He walks in the room, and he has this really good mix of confidence but humility. He is who he is. I thought he had a great press conference on Friday, just kind of showing the Arizona Cardinals world who he is.
"Obviously, he's had eyes on him for a long time, but I really appreciate the person even more than the player, and the player is pretty special."
LaFleur didn't need to say anything for everyone to see how highly the Cardinals organization thought of Love, as Arizona selected Love out of Notre Dame with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Fast forward to the start of training camp, and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has cast doubt on where Love stands.
Toward the end of his press conference , Hackett was asked if he saw a clear-cut starter in the Cardinals' running back room.
"Right now, it's a great room," Hackett said. "I'm really excited about it. Excited for James [Conner] to get out there and show what he's got. I mean, all the guys. Right now, we're trying to work on that operation. We're trying to make sure we're crisp, we're clean, and we've got a great play style."
When specifically asked for an update on Love's progress, Hackett said, "I mean he's definitely a rookie. He'll keep growing every single day. I'm very excited for him. All those guys, not just him."
People grabbed onto the "he's definitely a rookie" portion of Hackett's answer. On its face, it's an objective fact — a throwaway comment, but his tone when saying it likely won't help him among Cardinals fans. In Hackett's defense, however, he wasn't singling out Love. He made a similar comment about all rookies earlier in his presser when discussing quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
"I mean, he's got that veteran presence," Hackett said. "You know, when you first get the rookies, you know, the rookies — they don't know what's going on."
Before drafting Love, the Cardinals signed running back Tyler Allgeier in free agency. Conner, who has been with the Cardinals since 2021, was limited to three games and underwent foot surgery last season. With Conner entering his age-31 season, the presumption is that Love will be the featured back in Arizona.
Love was touted by many as the best overall player in the 2026 draft class and is undoubtedly a blue-chipper. The Heisman finalist rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry and added 280 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver for the Fighting Irish last season. It wasn't an anamoly, either, as. he rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry in 2024.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.