There were a lot of rumors leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft that the Cleveland Browns had a lot of interest in taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the sixth overall pick. They never got the chance to do so since he went third to the Arizona Cardinals, but the rumors were rampant enough that there was likely at least some validity to them.
With such obvious needs at wide receiver and offensive line, the consensus was that the Browns were planning on using their two first-round picks to fill those voids, which they very much did with Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion. The Love rumors were somewhat understandable because of the devastating ankle/leg injury he suffered in the 2025 season finale, but he still had a strong rookie year and will be ready to go for Week 1 in 2026.
Even though the rumors were understandable, they were still a slap in the face to Judkins and his supporters. Mike Lucas of Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is one of his biggest supporters and he recently spoke about how he believes the former Buckeye is in for a huge year.
“One, the Browns’ offensive line last year was a catastrophe. He was making dudes miss out of the backfield left and right because they couldn’t block anyone off the line at all. Bigger than how good Judkins was, my biggest takeaway was oh my goodness, I forgot how bad that offensive line was. The second point was Judkins is really good. He’s got the rare blend of explosion, strength, vision, and lateral quickness to make that one half-step that makes guys miss in the backfield. A healthy Quinshon with an improved offensive line with some passing threats, that’s why I think Quinshon’s in for a monster second season,” Lucas said.
I watched a lot of Quinshon Judkins cut ups last night.
I had 2 main takeaways about the #Browns stud RB: pic.twitter.com/qVdivXdTvM
— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) June 12, 2026
Judkins’ performance with four different starting quarterbacks, a lackluster passing game, and a mess of an offensive line was undoubtedly impressive. Love is likely going to be a stud, but the Browns have one of their own and made the right move going the obvious route and taking Fano and Concepcion in the draft.
Judkins has reportedly looked great in OTAs and should have no issues being healthy for Week 1. It will also be fun to see if fellow second-year back Dylan Sampson can carve out a big role alongside him.
Sampson was a sneaky weapon in the passing game as a rookie, but delivered next to nothing as a runner. Todd Monken should be able to coax more out of both of these young backs, especially now that they have a revamped line blocking for them.
It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Judkins is the focal point of this offense. He has the ability to be one of the best backs in the league, and hopefully those Love rumors lit a fire under him.
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