As the season moves along, here’s how we stack the top linebacker prospects eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft: This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

We're putting the league into four buckets: the inner and outer circles of contenders, fringe playoff teams and draft preparations. Those tiers are below with the teams in them listed alphabetically.

Who bumps Sam Darnold from the top five in Nick Shook's QB Index rankings? Which player falls 12 spots? Check out the updated pecking order, 1-32, heading into Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season.