The contract numbers were among the reasons the Cardinals’ selection was scrutinized. Furthermore, for a team coming off a 3-14 season, conventional wisdom suggests Arizona has holes aplenty to fill. The RB room wasn’t exactly seen as one of them with James Conner and Trey Benson returning and the free-agent addition of Tyler Allgeier.
In the end, general manager Monti Ossenfort and rookie head coach Mike LaFleur just couldn’t pass on such a special talent as Love.
Over his last two seasons at Notre Dame, Love produced an FBS-leading 40 touchdowns with 3,014 scrimmage yards and 7.2 yards per touch.
Love’s selection matched that of Garrison Hearst (No. 3; 1993) as the highest-drafted RB in franchise history during the Common Draft Era.
Just the sixth running back taken in the top 10 of the last 10 drafts, Love will have to make an argument for positional value with his skills, while also looking to lift the Cardinals out of the cellar and live up to sky-high overall expectations.
One thing he won’t need to concern himself too much is paying the bills. The 20-year-old took care of those in historic fashion already.
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