Meet the three elite draft prospects who are NFL decision makers’ worst nightmare By Ryan Dunleavy Published Feb. 23, 2026, 9:01 p.m. ET Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates scoring against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Michael Caterina-Imagn Images Some of the NFL’s top decision-makers are about to lose sleep while fearing monsters in their closets.
Only, in this case, the boogeyman will take the shape of a great college football player at a non-premium position.
Given that running back Jeremiyah Love, safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Arvell Reese might be the three best non-quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, is this class the positional-value thinker’s worst nightmare?
“Probably so,” former Titans general manager Ran Carthon laughed, “but you have to look beyond what they do for you on the field. What the game is becoming — and we were transitioning to this years ago at the 49ers — is playing positionless football. Teams will tell on themselves if those guys are available and they trade out of the pick.”
