Last year, Aaron Jones made the brilliant decision to replace his ugly, garbage green and mustard yellow Green Bay Packers jersey with a beautiful purple and gold Minnesota Vikings uniform.
Jones' first season with the Vikings in 2024 went very well, and it resulted in the team re-signing him to a new two-year contract worth $20 million this past March.
Unfortunately, his production this season hasn't been anywhere close to what he was able to do in 2024, and with Minnesota able to clear at least $8 million in much-needed cap space if they move on from him in 2026, it has some thinking the team will look to replace him in next year's NFL Draft.
Knowing all of this about the Vikings veteran running back who is about to turn 31-years-old in December, it shouldn't come as a surprise to find out that The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner has Minnesota selecting current Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love in the first round of his latest 2026 NFL Draft.
Minnesota Vikings pick Notre Dame RB Jeremiah Love in first round of recent 2026 NFL mock draft
It should be mentioned that Baumgardner has the Vikings using the ninth overall selection in next year's NFL Draft. Currently, Minnesota would have the No. 12 pick in the 2026 draft if the season came to a close after Week 12, so this seems to assume that the rest of their 2025 schedule probably isn't going to go very well.
Love would certainly be an intriguing selection, as he's already rushed for 1,135 yards and 14 touchdowns in addition to catching 26 passes for 274 yards and another three scores in 10 games for Notre Dame this season.
But would he actually be a good pick for a Vikings team that runs a pass-centric offense under head coach Kevin O'Connell?
Minnesota might be better off using the top-10 selection on a defensive lineman, cornerback, or safety instead of using a first-round pick on a running back who might get five touches per game in O'Connell's offense.
If the Vikings want to select a running back on Day 2 or Day 3 of next year's NFL Draft, then that would be more ideal. But as long as O'Connell is still calling the plays for Minnesota, a running back probably shouldn't even be a thought as a possibility for their first-round pick.