Senior Bowl director compares Jeremiyah Love to Ezekiel Elliott

Jeremiyah Love is going to be a popular topic during this upcoming NFL Draft cycle. Plenty of teams are going to want the Notre Dame running back, certainly being a candidate to be picked in the first round. The better question might be — how high does Love end up going?

If you ask Senior Bowl director Drew Fabianich, the answer is top five. He compares the situation to what Ezekiel Elliott went through nearly a decade ago with the Dallas Cowboys. You might even be able to compare Love and Elliott on the field as well.

“Everybody is talking about Jeremiyah Love,” Fabianich said. “And everybody should be because he’s a top-five pick in my book. There’s not many like him that I’ve seen. Closest I’ve seen and he’s probably a little touch faster — he’s like Zeke Elliott. He’s worthy of that praise. And I haven’t praised anybody like Zeke Elliott since I’ve been out.”

Elliott went fourth overall in 2016 to the Cowboys, an organization Fabianich was a part of at the time. Dallas instant reaped the rewards, watching him and fellow rookie Dak Prescott take them to a 14-2 regular season record. Individual honors came for Elliott as well, earning first-team All-Pro. He finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year behind Prescott and third in MVP voting.

A few years passed before Jerry Jones was forced to open the checkbook for Elliott. A total of seven seasons were spent in Dallas before moving to the New England Patriots in 2023. One final stint with the Cowboys came last season and he is currently a free agent.

Love is likely wanting a longer career. But if the comparison from Fabianich is true, every single team out there would take a similar start. Two NFL rushing titles in three years is tough to argue against.

For now, Love is focused on helping Notre Dame win a national championship. The Irish are one win away from presumably securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. Saturday brings a trip out West for a rivalry game against Stanford. Love is hoping to once again be efficient against the Cardinal, putting up 53 yards and a touchdown on just six carries last season.

Once in the College Football Playoff, Love’s performances can only bolster his 2026 NFL Draft stock. Much like Elliott’s showing did during Ohio State’s title run back in 2014.