Top 3 NFL Draft Pick Breaks the Record Books Before Taking a Single Pro Snap
The article recaps the opening round of the NFL Draft, highlighting high-profile moves and the debate over players’ contracts, especially at running back.
– Las Vegas Raiders believe they’ve found their franchise quarterback in Indiana standout and national champion fernando Mendoza.
– New York Jets add a new edge rusher in Texas Tech’s David Bailey and a receiver in Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq.
– Arizona Cardinals select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who is already generating headlines for a massive rookie deal.
– Love’s contract could be four years worth about $52.5 million guaranteed,which would make him the highest-paid running back in NFL history by guarantees.
– Comparisons show Love’s guaranteed money far outstrips other top backs like Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, and Derrick Henry, underscoring a rare moment of timing for a running back contract.
– The piece explains that the running back position is currently devalued, with teams favoring platoons and cap-friendly deals; only a few backs (Barkley, McCaffrey, Henry) have commanded large guarantees.
– Love’s early arrival at the league comes alongside the NFL’s rookie salary scale, which has grown with the salary cap since 2011, helping justify a top-5 pick’s huge guarantee.
– Some fans question the wisdom of paying a rookie so much before proving himself, framing it as an expensive “what if” scenario, though Love is viewed as a potential immediate impact player.
– The article notes the broader context of the draft’s long-term implications and the evolving economics of running backs in the NFL.
The first round of the NFL Draft is officially in the books, and NFL teams are positively giddy now that they have some shiny new toys to play with.
(With perhaps the glaring exception of the New England Patriots, who have their own issues to deal with at the moment.)
The Las Vegas Raiders believe they have their franchise quarterback in Indiana standout and national champion Fernando Mendoza. The New York Jets have a brand new pass rusher in Texas Tech’s David Bailey and a new pass catcher in Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq.
And the Arizona Cardinals took Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love — who’s already breaking records, though perhaps not in the way that the Cards were thinking.
Love, who was the third overall pick, will soon be armed with a rookie contract (assuming he signs) that would guarantee the 20-year-old a stunning chunk of money.
As pointed out by Sporting News, Love will soon be the owner of a 4-year, $52.5 million contract — all of which will be guaranteed.
That means that Love, despite not having played a down for the Cardinals yet, will be the highest-paid running back (in terms of guaranteed money) in NFL history.
Now, make no mistake, Love is a talented prospect:
“DAD, HOW GOOD WAS RUNNING BACK JEREMIYAH LOVE ON NOTRE DAME…?”
Love was one of the most special college running backs we have seen and will make an immediate impact on whatever #NFL franchise selects him.
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) April 19, 2026
But to already be paid like he’s the best running back? That’s a bridge too far for some fans online.
“Jeremiyah Love is owed $50,537,014, all guaranteed, before taking an NFL snap (per Spotrac),” one post with over 10,000 likes read. “No RB contract in NFL history has guaranteed that much money. Clownshow.”
Indeed, according to NFL salary cap site OverTheCap, Love’s $50 million-plus guarantee dwarfs that of other running backs often considered the best in the world at their position. Philadelphia Eagles do-it-all back Saquon Barkley — widely considered to be the best running back in football — had set the previous running back record for most guaranteed money with a whopping $36 million guarantee.
Versatile San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey and Baltimore Ravens powerhouse Derrick Henry each had $24 million and $25 million guaranteed, respectively.
So how did an untested rookie get such a contract? It’s mostly a matter of timing.
Love’s relatively massive deal comes during a time when the running back position is as devalued in football as any. Teams decided years ago that it was far better (and cap-friendlier) to deploy a platoon of cheaper running backs who each specialize in a different skill, like pass blocking, pass catching, or more traditional between-the-gaps running, than to tie up precious cap resources in a single star running back.
Players like Barkley, McCaffrey, and Henry are the exceptions to the rule, and have earned that status with years of stellar play.
Love also comes into the league at a time where the rookie salary scale is directly tied to the NFL salary cap. Before 2011, players negotiated their own rates, but since then, there’s been a set rookie scale that has steadily grown alongside the NFL’s cap space.
So due to running backs being devalued, and a steadily rising NFL rookie salary scale, Love appears to have entered the NFL at the perfect time.
Some fans may be miffed (and there’s always a question about how wise it is to take a running back with a top-5 pick in today’s NFL), but nowadays contracts aren’t always about what you’ve done — they’re just as much about when you show up. Love happened to show up at exactly the right time.
Now comes the hard part: proving he’s more than just the most expensive “what if” the league has ever seen.
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