After the Saquon Barkley experience blew up in the New York Giants’ face, it’s hard to fault fans for having reservations about using another top-five pick on a running back. Even if Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love is considered one of the best prospects coming out of the 2026 Draft.
Big Blue took Barkley with the second pick in 2018, and six years later the whole thing ended in painfully public fashion, with Joe Schoen fumbling through the breakup on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Barkley then went to Philadelphia and casually set career highs with 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Super Bowl-winning Eagles. So you can understand the hesitation to walk back into that world of trauma.
Which makes the latest draft buzz a little uncomfortable.
Charlie Campbell of Walter Football reported that the G-Men are eyeing a trio of prospects at No. 5: Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love:
"In speaking with sources, the prospects the Giants currently like the most for the fifth-overall pick are Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love."
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love emerging as legitimate option for Giants at No. 5
I’m going to need everyone to stay-calm Barkley for just a second. Is the report jarring? Absolutely. Would drafting a running back at five with other needs staring them in the face be the wisest move? Probably not. But do we trust John Harbaugh? Blindly. Which is why it’s unlikely Love hears his name called at five. And if he does, it’ll be because the Giants believe he’s the best player on the board.
Harby is a proven draft guy. Baltimore stayed competitive for nearly two decades because he consistently nailed the first round. Hayden Hurst is really the only clean miss in the last 10 years. Hollywood Brown and Rashod Bateman were fine, not franchise-altering. The rest of the board speaks for itself.
So who am I to argue with the 63-year-old on who to select?
Still, it’s reasonable to expect Harbaugh sees what Giants fans see: there are so many other roster holes worth addressing than chasing the best RB prospect of the class. They need to shore up the offensive line, bring in a game-changing receiver, address the secondary, and build out the middle of the defense with a defensive lineman or linebacker.
Bringing in a running back that high with Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. already on the roster feels more like a luxury than anything else. And this roster doesn’t feel ready for luxury picks.