NFL Insider's 2026 Draft stock watch: Risers and sliders after Week 8 games ft. Jeremiyah Love, Carson Beck and more

A handful of formerly unbeaten teams went down to defeat this weekend, and as a result the college football top-10 rankings were reshuffled. NFL scouts saw several outstanding performances from off-ball linebackers, which is expected to be a position of strength in the 2026 NFL Draft. We also witnessed a breakout game from the player expected to be the top running back available in the entire event next April. Here are the Risers and Sliders for Week 8.

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Syndication: South Bend Tribune - Source: Imagn

Jeremiyah Love/RB/Notre Dame: My concern about Love coming into the season was the lack of consistency he showed in 2024; for every dominant performance last season, the game-breaking running back would disappear for long stretches. It was also unusual for Love to get more than a dozen carries in many games. Both issues have been corrected this season, as Love has been the dominant force for the Notre Dame offense. He’s carried the ball fewer than a dozen times just once this season. He rushed for 100 yards or more in three games and was right at the century mark in two other contests. His performance against USC this weekend was incredible, as Love compiled 228 rushing yards on 24 carries, including a run of 63 yards, and consistently found ways to pick up positive yardage whenever the ball was handed to him. The Irish finish out the season with five relatively easy games, and Love should continue to rack up the rushing yardage then end up a mid-first-round pick in 2026.

Cade Uluave/LB/California: The Bears win over the hapless North Carolina Tar Heels put the team at a surprising 5-2 this season. It’s a record helped by a defense that ranks in the top half of the ACC, and Uluave is the leader of the unit. Seven games in, the junior has notched 62 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and three PBUs. He’s recorded double-digit tackles in all but three games this season, including 10 stops against North Carolina. Uluave is slightly undersized, but he’s fierce, fast and smart. He flies around the field going sideline to sideline in pursuit of the action and covers a tremendous amount of area on the field. He’ll be a great fit on the inside of a 3-4 alignment and presently carries a third-round grade on my board.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr/LB/TCU: Despite productive campaigns as both a sophomore and junior, many scouts graded Elarms-Orr as a late-round pick coming into the season, which was unreasonably low. His game film and computer numbers screamed middle-round prospect, and Elarms-Orr is presently playing more like a top-125 pick. His latest masterpiece was his best to date, with 16 tackles and one PBU during the victory over Baylor, a game that was delayed multiple times due to weather and took almost six hours to complete. Elarms-Orr presently owns a team-leading 64 tackles, and he’s positioning himself to be a terrific one-gap linebacker for the next level who should also be a standout on special teams.

Anthony Smith/DL/Minnesota: Graded as a second-round prospect on my board prior to the season, Smith is really developing into a dominant force on the defensive line. He’s totaled seven sacks and nine TFLs thus far, and his performance against Nebraska on Friday was his best game this season. During the Gophers’ 24-6 victory over the Cornhuskers, Smith was credited with 2.5 sacks as well as 2.5 TFLs. He’s a large, athletic lineman who can line up in a variety of schemes at the next level. Smith needs to improve his play against the run, yet he comes with incredible upside and could end up as a first-round pick in the future.

Sleeper Prospect - Josh Moten/CB/Southern Mississippi: Moten, a two-year starter for Marshall before joining the exodus of teammates who headed to Southern Mississippi, is having a terrific senior campaign. In six games, he’s broken up six passes and intercepted two and has 32 tackles to his credit. Graded as a potential late-round pick by NFL scouts the past two seasons, Moten possesses next-level size at 6-foot, 180 pounds, with the ball skills to match. He offers potential in a variety of defensive schemes, and Moten will be selected in the draft if he tests well before April.

Small School Prospect - Erick Hunter/LB/Morgan State: Hunter is a safety-sized linebacker who has been a tackling machine on the small-school level. He’s incredibly instinctive and tough and fires to the action, getting the most from his ability. An injury limited him to just a pair of games last season, yet Hunter combined for 152 tackles the prior two years. In seven games this season, he’s posted 56 tackles with seven TFLs. Predraft workouts, specifically 40 times, are critical for Hunter and will determine whether he lands in the late rounds. Yet he’ll surely compete for a roster spot next summer as a backup linebacker and special-teams player.

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Sliders

Carson Beck/QB/Miami: A season that started with optimism for Beck has swirled into a repeat of 2024, when he disappointed at Georgia. After starting the campaign with no interceptions and four touchdowns in the first two weeks, the scale has tipped in the other direction. Beck has thrown seven picks in the past four games and had a disastrous performance against Louisville on Friday evening, as the Cardinals handed the Hurricanes their first loss of the season. The senior threw four interceptions with no touchdowns, including a pick late in the game as Miami was driving for a game-tying field goal. Beck is a frustrating prospect for scouts, as while he possesses the physical traits to be an NFL starter and looks magnificent in certain spots, more times than not, the past two seasons, he throws interception after interception at the most inopportune moments. Beck is also slow at making decisions at times, which leads to many of his poor passes, and will need a great quarterbacks coach to succeed at the next level.