New York Giants end CB Julian Love's NFL Draft wait with fourth-round pick
Julian Love’s decision to leave Notre Dame early landed him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.
Surprisingly, the consensus All-American and Jim Thorpe Award finalist for college football's top defensive back in 2018 had to wait until Saturday to hear his name called.
The New York Giants selected the former Notre Dame cornerback with the No. 108 overall pick. Eleven cornerbacks were drafted ahead of Love, including Georgia's Deandre Baker, whom the Giants selected in the first round.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Love finished his Notre Dame career with a junior season that included 63 tackles, 16 pass breakups, three tackles for a loss, three fumble recoveries and one interception.
In Love’s sophomore season, he set the Notre Dame single-season record with 20 pass breakups. He also set the Irish career mark with 39 breakups.
The Westchester, Ill., product played in all 38 games of his Notre Dame career. In that span, he tallied 176 tackles, six tackles for a loss, five interceptions, four fumble recoveries, three touchdowns, one forced fumble and one defensive two-point conversion return.
Love became only the fifth Notre Dame cornerback selected in the last 13 drafts. He’s the first to be drafted since the Cincinnati Bengals picked KeiVarae Russell in the third round in 2016.
Now three Irish players have been picked in the 2019 draft so far, with the Chargers selecting defensive tackle Jerry Tillery in the first round Thursday night and the Baltimore Ravens picking wide receiver Miles Boykin in the third round Friday night.
Love signed with Notre Dame in the 2016 class out of La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy. Rivals pegged Love as a four-star recruit and the No. 21 cornerback in the class. 247Sports slated him as a three-star recruit and the No. 51 cornerback.
The NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS!! So excited for this opportunity. Dream come true, let’s go NY pic.twitter.com/QFxFDpuSzG
— Julian Love (@julianlove27) April 27, 2019
Feeling the love with this one. ❤️
Welcome to Big Blue, Julian Love! pic.twitter.com/5OVaDbJ8ak
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 27, 2019
.@Saquon and #NYGiants fans at the @wishnj castle announce the pick!
: NFLN/ESPN pic.twitter.com/wBOYkr0noP
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 27, 2019
Congratulations to our consensus All-American @julianlove27 heading to the @Giants! #GiantsDraft#GraduatingChampionspic.twitter.com/86XNquslQV
— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) April 27, 2019
It’s hard not to be excited for the @Giants ...in Julian Love they are getting a smart, fast, competitive football player who will represent their organization with class on and off the field.
He is the epitome of a Notre Dame Man.
Congrats, @julianlove27!! pic.twitter.com/50cEuIC0U9
— Clark Lea (@Coach_Lea) April 27, 2019
