INDIANAPOLIS — Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has seen and heard about many of the top prospects in this year’s NFL draft who have declined to work out at this year’s combine.
And he didn’t hesitate to say Friday that he will not be one of those players. Love said he will run the 40-yard dash as well as do position drills Saturday when the running backs do their on-field work in Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Just to showcase my skills,” Love said. “I’m not afraid to go out there and just be myself. I feel like I’m very fast, I feel like I’ve got some good moves in my bag, so why not go out there and run the 40, do some position drills.”
Love, who is the No. 2 player on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board and had 1,372 yards rushing this past season for the Fighting Irish with 18 touchdowns, was also asked if he felt pressure to be such a highly ranked player heading into the draft.
“How do I deal with the pressure? No pressure at all, I mean I’m just being myself,” Love said.
Love exuded plenty of confidence as he covered a variety of topics Friday, including his favorite of the plays this season –he picked one against Miami, when he hurdled a defender.
“I can do it all, I can receive, I can block, I can run, you name it, and I’m going to do anything for any team to have success,” Love said. He added on his ability in pass protection and that “nobody has really beat me in blocking. I’ve pretty much dominate guys who’ve tried to rush me … I completely dominate in blocking.”
