The margin between timing and payoff in the NFL draft is unforgiving. Declare early, and the board has to bend your way. Miss the window, and the league moves on without you. Right now, though, the board appears to be bending toward Jeremiyah Love.

After three seasons at Notre Dame, Love made the calculated decision to enter the draft early. As the 2026 process begins to take shape, that gamble is starting to look justified. Multiple mock drafts now place Love firmly in the top-10 conversation, a rare space for any running back in the modern NFL. What elevates that projection from optimism to genuine intrigue is one destination repeatedly tied to his name: Kansas City.

Mel Kiper Jr.’s January 21 mock crystallized the conversation around Love and the Chiefs. “The Chiefs make their first pick in the top 10 since they took Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 in 2017 and promptly use the selection to get a game-changing running back to pair with their star quarterback?” Kiper wrote.

That single sentence reframed Love’s draft outlook. Kansas City owning a top-10 pick is already unusual. Using it on a running back would be even more so. However, the context matters. The Chiefs fell to 6–11 in 2025, snapping a decade-long run of dominance. More significantly, Patrick Mahomes suffered an ACL tear, derailing an offense that already lacked balance.

Kansas City finished 25th in rushing. Mahomes led the team with 422 yards, while Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco combined for roughly 1,073 yards. Defenses increasingly sat back, daring the Chiefs to beat them on the ground. They often could not. That reality explains why a player like Love has suddenly become central to their draft math.

Love’s 2025 season supplied the resume evaluators want to see before spending premium capital on a running back. He rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 27 catches for 280 yards. He finished as a Heisman finalist and emerged as the highest-placing non-quarterback in the voting.

Those numbers do not simply suggest productivity. They signal reliability and versatility. Love was not just a volume runner in college. He proved he could function as a complete offensive piece, something NFL teams increasingly demand from backs taken early.

Why Kansas City feels like a perfect fit

Several threads converge if Love lands with the Chiefs. The backfield situation is unsettled, and the rushing inefficiency from last season placed undue strain on the passing game. Beyond that, Kansas City quietly addressed its offensive infrastructure.

Eric Bieniemy’s return as offensive coordinator matters here. Bieniemy has a documented history of maximizing running backs within this system, blending physical runners with pass-catching responsibilities. Love’s ability to contribute on all three downs aligns cleanly with that philosophy.

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Mahomes’ injury adds urgency. While he remains the centerpiece of the franchise, Kansas City cannot afford to overload him early in his return. A back who can dictate defensive fronts and punish light boxes would ease that burden immediately. In that sense, Love represents both insurance and enhancement.

Love’s rise has not been purely schematic or statistical. He leaned into the spotlight throughout the season, particularly on social media. After Indiana’s national championship, Love posted an Instagram story that read, “Brought a smile to my face, Indiana.” The moment resonated, revealing a competitive edge that evaluators quietly value.

NFL teams are not just drafting production. They are drafting composure, confidence, and how a player handles pressure when the stakes rise. Love’s willingness to engage publicly while maintaining on-field consistency adds a layer to his profile that cannot be measured at the combine.

The next phase will sharpen everything. Combining testing, team visits, and interviews will determine how high Love ultimately climbs. Positional value will be debated, as it always is with running backs. Some teams will hesitate. Others will see a rare opportunity to pair a three-down back with an elite quarterback at the right moment.

For Jeremiyah Love, the calculus is straightforward. Leaving Notre Dame early only works if the league rewards conviction. Right now, the mock-draft momentum suggests it has. If Kansas City remains in the top-10 range and its needs stay aligned, the scenario becomes less hypothetical and more plausible.

The draft still has months to reshape itself. Yet based on current projections, Kansas City’s roster needs, Bieniemy’s return, and Love’s 2025 tape, the “dream scenario” label holds up. For a prospect who bet on himself after three seasons, the payoff is no longer theoretical. It is forming in real time.