Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort disclosed that a simple error—the wrong phone number—caused a brief delay in drafting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Love becomes the highest-selected running back since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 in 2018. Although the Cardinals were widely expected to choose the star, they took slightly longer to confirm the selection.

The Draft Delay Explained

During a post-draft press conference, Ossenfort candidly shared the mishap. “If you want me to tell you the honest God truth, we had the wrong phone number,” he said. “The phone number that we were given was the wrong one, so that was a little bit of the delay. So we got that straightened out and we called Jeremiyah, we got hold of him. That’s what the delay was.”

Head coach Mike LaFleur lightened the mood, joking, “There was no delay!”

Fan Backlash on Social Media

Supporters expressed frustration online over the admission. One fan posted, “Oh ffs, don’t say that in public.” Another criticized, noting the team’s roster needs and the position selected. A third labeled it a “clown show.”

No Trade Talks Materialized

Ossenfort emphasized that the Cardinals had no serious discussions about trading the No. 3 pick. “There was very minimal conversations,” he explained. “There was some surface level [conversations], but nothing that came anywhere close to getting us to move up a pick.”

Love’s Excitement and Impressive Profile

The 20-year-old Love expressed no surprise at joining Arizona following a recent conversation with Ossenfort. “I’m not going to get into the specifics of it, but we had a great conversation,” Love said. “I love him. He loves me. And we’re going to make this relationship work.”

LaFleur praised Love as the top offensive playmaker available. The 6-foot, 212-pound unanimous All-America honoree rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final college season, adding three receiving scores. He also excelled at the NFL Combine with a 4.36-second 40-yard dash.

“I’ve said this about running backs—they come in all shapes and sizes,” LaFleur noted. “What’s unique about him in my opinion is that in all three phases, run game, pass game and protection. He doesn’t have a weakness.”

Love now joins an elite group of top-10 drafted running backs from the past decade, including Barkley, Leonard Fournette, Bijan Robinson, and Ashton Jeanty.