PITTSBURGH -- It could not have been a more perfect day in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

The sun was shining over the football field as the 17 NFL draft prospects hosted a football clinic with athletes from Special Olympics. Nothing could wipe the smile off the faces of the athletes or the prospects, especially Jeremiyah Love.

It was at that moment the running back began to truly think about what he was going to experience in the next 24 hours.

In those 24 hours, he would get to walk the red carpet and wear a suit that he had spent months designing with the help of his girlfriend and a clothing designer. In those 24 hours, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would announce his name. In those 24 hours, a dream would be realized.

"After that whole camp I was thinking to myself, 'Damn, the draft is tomorrow and I really get drafted tomorrow,'" Love said. "But that was the moment I realized ..."

Love paused before finishing. "'I'm here.'"

It was not a surprise to see Love standing on the NFL stage. It's an opportunity you get when you're labeled a generational prospect. In 41 games played at Notre Dame, Love rushed for 2,882 yards and had 42 total touchdowns.

It was not a surprise for Love, either.

"I haven't had any nerves this whole draft process," Love said. "There's not too many things that can rattle me or get me off my balance of cool. I'm right in the middle. But this has been really cool for me. I've been having a great time and I've been staying in the moment. I've been taking it all in, because at the end of the day, you only get to do this one time in your life, so I've been making the best out of it."

THERE ARE THREE THINGS that will instantly make Love's face light up. There is his family. There is football. And there is both anime and comics.

Five years ago, Love and his father, Jason, began the process of creating Jeremonstar Comics. Jeremonstar is based on Love's alter ego, and the sport-anime comic book highlights his real-life experiences. Like most published pieces, there were many different drafts, but in September, he launched the first issue.

On Thursday afternoon, he took the artwork to a new level. While walking on the draft's red carpet, Love opened up his chocolate-colored suit jacket. On the right side of the inner lining was a collage of photos from his time at Notre Dame. On the left inner lining, it was a Sharpie design of Jeremonstar.

"It's basically me super-powered up as Jeremonstar," Love said. "It was important because all of this is something that I hold dear. Comics, anime, Manga (which are comics originally published in Japan) is stuff that I really enjoy and it's actually one of the only things that I do outside of football. Putting that in my suit, I wanted to represent that community of people and wanted to represent that part of myself."

Jeremonstar is a superhero in the comic books. With the third pick in the draft, the Cardinals believe they drafted their own superhero. He's an explosive runner that doesn't shy away from contact. In the passing game, few running backs were as effective, with Love finishing his collegiate career with 63 receptions for 594 yards with six touchdowns.

His skills as a pass blocker also caught the eye of coach Mike LaFleur, which is why Love became the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018.

"You guys see all of the explosive stuff and that's all there, but he didn't have weaknesses in my opinion in any of those phases, so you can put him in those situations," LaFleur said. "He has to learn this game. He has to learn the NFL. He has to learn the speed of it. There's a lot still that needs to be learned and practiced and all that, but he definitely has the tools to get there."

That's where Love and his alter ego can work together to help the Cardinals. Much of his comic is about resiliency, discipline, finding an identity, and handling pressure -- all challenges every rookie will face.

As Thursday night progressed, Love sat across from former Cardinal offensive lineman Max Starks, who works for ESPN Radio. Love listened intently as Starks shared insight on the left side of the Cardinals offensive line with tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and guard Isaac Seumalo. Starks then asked Love which anime character would best resembles the running back both on and off the field.

Love broke into a wide smile getting to talk about two of his passions.

"I'm going to go with Dragon Ball and go with Goku," Love said. "He's not the most powerful in the universe. There are people more powerful than him, but nobody can match Goku."

Starks' ESPN co-host asked what Goku did.

"Goku? You don't know Goku?" Love said with a laugh.

A WEEK BEFORE the draft, Monti Ossenfort dialed up Love's phone. That was call that gave Love the "inkling" he was headed to Arizona.

Once the Jets selected David Bailey, Love knew he was probably headed to the Cardinals' loaded running back room. Love began to hug his family in the green room, realizing his dream.

After he shared a goodbye with the family, it became real for Love. For the next two-and-a-half hours, Love took part in the ultimate media experience. He went to different media booths, sharing his excitement for this next chapter, his smile in tow.

He went on Bleacher Report's draft show with NFL players Micah Parsons and Malik Nabers. The Giants wide receiver said he wished Love slid to No. 5 when New York was picking. Cutting his way through a crowd of people like he does on the football field, Love arrived at the NFL's booth. To his surprise, Notre Dame running backs Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. were on the other line to share their congratulations. Love started to become emotional.

"I had my boys on there," he said.

One of his other stops was at Topps, where Love opened up his first pack of trading cards. As he ripped through the pack, he came across a rare CeeDee Lamb redemption card, but what caught Love's eye was a standard Jahmyr Gibbs card.

It was the only card he kept because to him, Gibbs is an example of how a running back should play.

But the top example at the position, in Love's eyes, is Barry Sanders. When he was young, his dad would play Sanders highlights.

Sanders, a Hall of Famer, was drafted in 1989. He, like Love, was picked third overall.

"Obviously there's been a great legacy of people that have been drafted at No. 3, but for me, I'm always going to be myself," Love said. "I'm going to do the things that got me here and I'm going to continue to find ways to be better as a player. It's a huge honor to be drafted to the Cardinals and be drafted at three, but at the end of the day, I'm going to continue to grind and continue to work."

The last time the Cardinals selected a player with the third pick in the draft was in 2004. That player was Larry Fitzgerald.

AS THE SUN started to rise in Pittsburgh on Friday morning, another memorable day was on the horizon.

The Love family got on the plane sent by the Cardinals and made their way to the desert for his first day as a pro.

Upon arrival at the airport, they were greeted by owner Michael Bidwill. Arriving at the facility, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. was waiting in the parking lot. Coincidentally, Love took Starks' advice before even walking through the door.

"A big guy like you, we're going to make each other look good," Love told Johnson.

Johnson, flanked by Marvin Harrison Jr., sat in the front row at the Love's introductory press conference. Cody Simon was in the crowd. Walter Nolen III, the Cardinals' 2025 first-rounder, also made sure to say hello.

"It means the world to me to see these guys come in here and just show their faces, because they didn't have to do that and they did," Love said. "It just shows me the great culture that's here at the Cardinals, and I plan to come in and make that culture better."

Sitting next to the players in the front row were Love's parents, Jason and L'Tonya, his sister, and his girlfriend. When talking about his upbringing, the smile returned as the memories came flooding back. His parents couldn't stop smiling either.

"Jeremiyah, off the field, he's the nicest person," Jason said. "Jeremiyah is a nerd at heart. But on the football field, man, it's psychotic. I see him when he gets to shaking his head, he's different. He's no longer my son Jeremiyah. He's Jeremonstar."

His dad described his style as aggressive and vicious. "If you're bigger than him, he's going to jump over you," the proud father said. With an offensive-minded head coach, the playcalling options are running wild through the heads of Jeremiyah, Jason, and Cardinals fans across the globe.

But on Friday, just a few hours before the second round of the draft, Love began his Cardinals tenure the only way he knew how. He talked about his family, his passion for comics, and football. After his press conference concluded, his family stood by his side as he held a Cardinals jersey with his last name on the back. Most of his college career, Notre Dame did not have player's names printed on the back.

"Having that 'Love' on the back of my jersey is going to add a little bit extra responsibility," he said. "It's my name that I have to represent, but at the end of the day, this is still a team. It's still about the Cardinals."

The new uniform represents a new chapter in the Love's football journey. But in true Jeremiyah fashion, he emphasized there are many chapters to go.

"I want to be a Hall of Famer by the end of my time playing," Love said. "I want to be one of the greatest, one of the best to come through the game. I'm always on a hunt for something greater."