Kids who will be playing on Sundays: South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, Miami's Darian Mensah and Cincinnati's Cole Tabb headline Week 8 standouts

"From an NFL Draft perspective, it is hard to find 6-foot-3, 240-pound athletes with 4.4 speed and Sellers' power," wrote The Athletic's Dane Brugler on Sunday.

South Carolina junior DE Dylan Stewart

If Sellers was the Offensive Player of the Game in South Carolina's win over Tennessee, Stewart was the Defensive Player of the Game. The DE forced a fumble with 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing possession, South Carolina kicker Malik Orsan drilled a 48-yard field goal.

"In the biggest moments, you need your most talented pass-rushers to go make the biggest plays," wrote NFL Media's Trevor Sikkema. "Dylan Stewart called game."  

Those plays are one reason most draftniks view Stewart, who has forced three fumbles (tied for No. 4 in FBS) this season, as one of the class' best pass-rushers. As of Sunday morning, NFL Mock Draft Database lists him as edge-rusher No. 2 on its consensus big board behind Texas Longhorns star Colin Simmons. 

Miami Hurricanes junior QB Darian Mensah

Mensah is much less flashy than other QBs in the draft, but he's been far more productive than many of those passers. 

This season, he has completed a mind-boggling 81.4 percent of his passes for 2,151 yards, tossing an FBS-leading 22 TD passes and one interception. In a 52-23 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, he completed 31-of-37 passes for 387 yards and four TDs.

Sure, Mensah benefits from playing with standout sophomore WR Malachi Toney (11 TD catches, No. 3 in FBS), another future NFLer who is draft-eligible in 2028. But that doesn't change the fact that the QB has multiple skills that translate to the NFL.  

"Mensah is a locate-and-loft thrower who has a great sense of true progressions and can string together long stretches of accurate completions," wrote ESPN's Jordan Reid, who tabbed the Miami star as QB3 on his updated big board. "He has great touch on passes, as he can drop throws right into the outstretched arms of targets."

Oklahoma State Cowboys sophomore QB Drew Mestemaker 

Mestemaker can return for the 2027 season, but he may want to forgo his college eligibility and enter the draft. He continues to separate himself as QB1 thanks to his arm talent.

In a 57-24 win over the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, Mestemaker completed 21-of-36 passes for 386 yards and four TDs. He has had six straight games with 300-plus passing yards.

Mestemaker (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) looks like a franchise QB, which only improves his draft stock. In his October mock draft, Field Yates had the Miami Dolphins taking him with pick No. 2. 

"[Mestemaker] is a fearless playmaker who can impact nearly every blade of grass on the field with his mobility and his off-platform throwing skills," wrote Yates.

Cincinnati Bearcats junior RB Cole Tabb

Many scouts may have tuned in to watch Texas Tech Red Raiders junior RB J'Koby Williams, but Tabb stole the show in the Bearcats' 37-24 upset. 

The RB ran for 173 yards on 16 carries, and his 58-yard TD in the fourth quarter sealed the upset. That should make more teams take notice of Tabb, who ranks first in the country in yards per carry (9.6, 621 yards on 65 carries) and is tied for eighth in TDs (12, nine rushing and three receiving). 

"The list of players with a dozen TDs is a short one," wrote Brugler. "In an unsettled running back class, Tabb might be a name to watch."