Happy draft month to those who celebrate. For those who don’t (what’s wrong with you), there’s no better time to start. Three weeks separate the New York Giants from a handful of prospects ready to make a name for themselves in the league, and the speculation is already heating up.
The Giants are in an interesting position. After overhauling the coaching staff and upgrading the roster in free agency, they're in a spot where positional value and luxury don't really matter. At least, that's what they have the fans thinking. Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles is in play, as is OSU safety Caleb Downs, two players whose positions figure to make more sense getting taken later than No. 5. Then there's Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who Big Blue is reportedly very, very, very interested in, but they already have three backs on the roster, and there are bigger needs than seemingly adding a luxury selection with such a premium pick.
Maybe not if you've heard the latest praise for Love coming from Greg Cosell.
When speaking with Adam Schein of the New York Post, the longtime NFL film guru and matchups analyst laid out exactly what makes Love such an intriguing prospect, and if he’s even close to that in the NFL, the Giants would be nuts to pass on him:
"The more I watched him, the more I thought of Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. Almost like a combo platter."Greg Cosell
Not Cosell hitting us with a combo platter of Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs to sell us on Love. Send me to whatever restaurant is serving that.
Jeremiyah Love gets ridiculously awesome Bijan Robinson-Jahmyr Gibbs comp
Love is widely considered one of the best players in the entire draft class. Several analysts believe he’s the top running back prospect to enter the league since Saquon Barkley. Pretty fitting that he’s being linked to the G-Men, huh?
Aside from the upside the 20-year-old brings, what makes him such an interesting prospect is his ability to do pretty much everything with the football and do it well. He has elite speed for his size (4.36 at 212 pounds), making him a constant home run threat while still being slippery in tight spaces. He’s an undervalued pass-catcher and pass-blocker, protects the football as well as anyone (one fumble in 433 carries), and hasn’t been run into the ground in college.
Related: 5 sleeper running backs Giants could draft if they miss on Jeremiyah Love
Still, being compared to two of the game's most electric running backs is no joke. Since coming into the league in 2023, Robinson and Gibbs have redefined what the position can look like in today’s game.
Take a look at their career totals through their first three seasons and tell me that if Love comes anywhere close to those numbers, it won't be a party in East Rutherford:
Bijan Robinson | Jahmyr Gibbs | |
|---|---|---|
Carries | 805 | 675 |
Rushing yards | 3,910 | 3,580 |
Touchdowns | 25 | 39 |
Receptions | 198 | 181 |
Receiving yards | 1,738 | 1,449 |
Touchdowns | 9 | 10 |
Sure, drafting a running back with the fifth pick while the Giants still have needs pretty much everywhere else might seem out there. But it's not hard to envision a world where Big Blue turns this around with Love leading the way, much like his player comps have.
The last time the Giants made the playoffs, Saquon Barkley helped lead the way with 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, along with 338 yards through the air. Maybe leaning all the way into Harbaugh’s smash-mouth identity is exactly what this team needs.