Former LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is one of a host of stars fighting to be the second quarterback off the board after former Indiana standout Fernando Mendoza on draft night. Nussmeier’s draft stock was impacted by a shaky season under center for the Tigers after receiving preseason Heisman Trophy shouts.
Nussmeier played most of last season with a core injury that limited his mobility, but he was the Senior Bowl MVP last month, leading the American Team to a 17-9 win over the National Team.
Garrett Nussmeier’s Draft Stock Improvement Explored
In a clip posted on X on Thursday, ESPN analyst Chase Daniel addressed Nussmeier’s flagging draft stock while indicating cause for optimism for the former LSU quarterback in the pre-draft process.
“I think Garrett Nussmeier has the chance to move up the most out of any quarterback in the draft and the pre-draft process,” Daniel said. “Because teams are gonna work his film and I’ve watched a couple of his games and it’s hit or miss. He gets stuck on reads, he struggles with push in the pocket. He’s not an athletic guy.
“In terms of, can’t just escape every single pressure. But then there’s plays where you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ The arm shines, like a deep shot to the field. All these deep throws, it really works. To his credit, he played well at the Senior Bowl, impressed a lot of people.”
Before his inconsistent 2025 season, Nussmeier led one of the most explosive offenses in college football and tallied 4,052 passing yards, resulting in 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, leading to his draft stock skyrocketing.
Analyst Delivers Nussmeier’s Draft Verdict
During a conference call on Thursday, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah praised Nussmeier’s toughness and predicted that the former Tigers quarterback would be a third-round pick in the NFL Draft.
“I like him as a third-round pick,” Jeremiah said. “I feel like that’s the sweet spot for him. But we’ve seen in years past that guys can get elevated, so maybe there’s a chance he goes in the second round. But I like him more as a third-round player who’s got a really interesting skill set in terms of contact delivery.
“He’s really, really tough. It was butt-cold at the Senior Bowl, man. It was windy and it was cold and it didn’t seem to have much of an effect on him, which is a great sign for him going forward.”
Nussmeier earned a PFSN’s CFB QB Impact score of 75.9 after registering 1,927 passing yards on 67.4% completion, resulting in 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions for the Tigers last season, before he was shut down in November.
