Jeremiyah Love stood out as one of the top running back prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft and was a sure-shot candidate to be picked within the top-10 on Thursday night. While the Las Vegas Raiders took QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick and the New York Jets selected edge rusher David Bailey at No. 2, the Arizona Cardinals had no hesitation in locking in Love as the No. 3 overall pick. There was, however, a brief delay while making the call.

“If you want me to tell you the honest-to-God truth, we had the wrong phone number,” said GM Monti Ossenfort in a presser. “The phone number that we were given was the wrong one. That was the little bit of the delay. We got that straightened out, and we called Jeremiyah, and we got ahold of him. That’s what the delay was… technical difficulties.”

The general manager of the Arizona Cardinals, Monti Ossenfort, cited technical difficulties as the reason behind the delay. However, there shouldn’t have been any, considering the updated NFL Draft Contact Distribution rules. Starting with the 2026 NFL Draft, teams have been restricted to using a single designated person in football operations to manage all contact information for draft prospects.

This tightening of rules is to prevent prank calls. With that, to also ensure that only one authorized individual in each organization handles player numbers, safeguarding contact info. But why a sudden change of rule? It’s because of the infamous Shedeur Sanders prank call controversy during the 2025 NFL draft.

On Day 2 of the draft, Sanders was livestreaming his watch party. But shortly after, he received a call from someone impersonating New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis. Later, it was revealed that the prank was orchestrated by Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

Jax had obtained Sanders’ private draft-day number from his father’s unattended iPad while visiting his parents’ home. Hence, from 2026, the NFL levied strict restrictions. However, the Arizona Cardinals and GM Ossenfort got the correct number and drafted Jeremiyah Love to the squad.

“What’s unique about [Love], in my opinion, is all three phases,” said Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur. “What I mean by all three phases is the run game, the pass game, and protection. He has the ability to mix in all of those.”

So, in their mind, there were no second thoughts about picking the 20-year-old RB prospect. Likewise, Love also seemed happy to kick off his NFL career with the Cardinals. But, with that, he also expressed his hunger to make the most of this opportunity.

Jeremiyah Love weighs in on the excitement and pressure of joining the Cardinals

From being the 3rd position holder in the Heisman Trophy to winning the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back, Jeremiyah Love had quite a 2025 season. In terms of stats, he recorded 1,372 rushing yards with 199 carries and 18 rushing takedowns in 12 games played in the 2025 season for Notre Dame.

And Love just wants to continue that momentum with the Arizona Cardinals.

“It’s my job and my duty to make sure that when I step foot in Arizona, I do what I’ve got to do to represent the running backs and represent Arizona in the right way,” said Love to Cardinals media after selection. “So that’s what I’m going to do coming into the league. I’m going to make sure I represent it the right way, and I’m very blessed to have this opportunity. I’m just ready to work and do what I’ve got to do to have success.”

It has been four seasons since the Cardinals entered the playoffs. The 2021 NFC Wild Card matchup on January 17, 2022, was their last playoff game, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams 11–34. So, with that, there is pressure on the team as well for the 2026 NFL season. But Jeremiyah Love does not want to stress much about it.

“No added pressure at all,” Love added. “I try not to listen to a lot of things that are said about me, whether they are good or bad. I know I was just picked as the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, but I’m still myself at the end of the day… I’m still just Jeremiyah Love, man. I’m still on the hunt for something greater than this. That hunt is never going to stop, so there’s no pressure here.”

The running back room seemed like a priority for the Cardinals this offseason. Before drafting Love, they signed Tyler Allgeier. Apart from that, the room also has returning James Conner and Trey Benson. And surely these four will look to end their team’s four-season playoff drought.