Arizona Cardinals, Ex‑BYU RB Tyler Allgeier deemed ‘NFL Draft loser’
Apr 28, 2026, 9:35 PM | Updated: Apr 29, 2026, 11:10 am
Former BYU football great Tyler Allgeier is gearing up for his first season with the Arizona Cardinals.
The NFL veteran spent the past four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before making a move in free agency to return to the West to play for the Cardinals.
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At the time Allgeier signed the two-year deal with Arizona, he was a potential candidate to be the featured back in the Cardinals’ backfield.
That changed last week after Arizona selected Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
NFL insider Adam Schefter calls Tyler Allgeier an ‘NFL Draft loser’ due to Arizona picking Jeremiyah Love
It reminded many, including ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, of Allgeier’s time with the Falcons, when Atlanta selected running back Bijan Robinson with a top-10 pick, the following spring after Allgeier rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign.
On the “Adam Schefter Podcast,” Schefter and guests Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates discussed who were “NFL Draft losers” in the 2026 draft. Schefter pointed to BYU’s all-time single-season rushing leader.
Tyler Allgeier left Atlanta to sign with Arizona so he finally could be the lead back. Then on draft night, with the third overall pick, the Cardinals selected Jeremiyah Love, thrusting Allgeier right back into a similar position.
🎧 https://t.co/L5QFLqW3WV pic.twitter.com/u0rcpgMFMo
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 28, 2026
“Tyler Allgeier was in Atlanta and wanted a larger role, and left Atlanta in free agency to go to Arizona, which paid him $7 million for the upcoming season,” Schefter said on his ESPN podcast. “He thought he was going to be the lead back there. Or at least, get more work than he got in Atlanta. And he goes to Arizona, which he did not expect at the time would be the team that would ultimately pick Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at number three, but that’s exactly what happens on the first night of the draft.
“The Cardinals coaches loved Jeremiyah Love; the Cardinals Owner, we believe, loved Jeremiyah Love. This is an organization that needed a little bit of pizazz, and they went ahead and took him, I think, to the surprise and the disappointment of Tyler Allgeier. Who chose that spot because he thought he’d have a bigger opportunity. That now, of course, will be shrinking, much as it did in Atlanta behind Bijan Robinson. He would be my ‘draft loser.'”
Longtime NFL Draft analyst at ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr., said it could work out as Jeremiyah Love could be a player that the Cardinals could line up in the slot. But still, one has to think that a No. 3 overall pick is going to be expected to be the featured back in an offense that is looking to find an identity after a 3-14 record a season ago.
Through his four years in the NFL, Tyler Allgeier has rushed for 2,876 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Allgeier was a force in the red zone for Atlanta last season, scoring eight touchdowns.
One of the impressive stats in Allgeier’s career is that he has not had a fumble through his first four seasons in the league.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
