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Garrett Nussmeier 2026 NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Cerebral Signal-Caller Brings Old School Back

It’s officially the 2026 NFL Draft cycle, and the “Nuss Bus” is accepting new members. Garrett Nussmeier is next in line in a long lineage of NFL-caliber passers from the LSU Tigers’ ranks, and he already has fans heading into the 2025 campaign.

In his current form, how does Nussmeier project to the NFL? What are his strengths and limitations, and can he compete for QB1 in a wide-open 2026 class?

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Garrett Nussmeier: A Coach’s Son and a Coach’s Dream

Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels — two star NFL QBs that the Tigers can lay claim to. Naturally, following in their footsteps can create a lot of natural pressure for Nussmeier, but he’s acquitted himself well, just like he always has.

Nussmeier saw varsity playing time at Edward S. Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, as early as his sophomore season. As a junior, he racked up 3,788 yards and 38 touchdowns. As a senior, he added 33 more scores to his career total.

A four-star recruit, Nussmeier had offers from countless Power conference programs — among them Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, and Miami. He might’ve started earlier somewhere else, but the developmental track record of LSU played a hand in his decision.

Nussmeier would have to wait his turn with the Tigers. His first start didn’t come until the very end of his third season — the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl, where Nussmeier earned Game MVP honors against the Wisconsin Badgers in relief of Daniels.

2024-25 was Nussmeier’s first season as a full-time starter, and the results were mostly positive. The Tigers finished 9-4, and he completed 337 of 525 attempts (64.2%) for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. But for a team that competed for SEC supremacy with Burrow and Daniels, that mountaintop remains elusive.

Can Nussmeier attain the team success that Burrow did and become a similar caliber of NFL prospect? Those are the questions that remain unanswered. The son of long-time NFL coach and current New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, Garrett has the background and the football IQ, but can it be enough?

Garrett Nussmeier Deep Dive: How Does the LSU QB Win?

A few words come to mind immediately when watching Nussmeier’s tape: Cerebral, instinctive, and situationally smart.

He’s around average size (6’2″, 200 pounds), is a middling athlete, and his arm strength isn’t special. But Nussmeier has feel for the game, and that counts for something.

The play below is a small example to start with. It’s a designed screen where Nussmeier has to move the pocket, throw while drifting, and adjust his arm angle. Even though his physical skill set isn’t elite, you can see how comfortable he is changing things up.

Nussmeier’s arm elasticity and angle freedom is an asset he comes back to particularly often. He can throw the ball from different arm slots and platforms, and that gives him an extra dimension that not all pure pocket passers have.

Nussmeier won’t be mistaken for a high-level athlete or creator, and he’s not much of a running threat (negative-96 career rushing yards). But at the very least, he’s capable of operating on the move as a passer with boot actions and rollouts, and he can use his arm elasticity to maintain pace on the run.

Where Nussmeier truly separates himself is with the old-school football traits. He’s intelligent, with elite pre-snap command and vision, and he can use this pre-snap proficiency to identify early solutions and hot reads.

Beyond his intelligence, Nussmeier is tough as nails with pressure bearing down. He’s fearless testing tight windows, and an ultimate gunslinger.

His close-to-average arm strength shouldn’t buy as much confidence as Nussmeier exudes, and that arm arrogance hurts at times. But it can also inspire the courage to make meaningful throws, like the anticipatory dart below.

Post-snap, Nussmeier can be just as savvy and in control. The play below visualizes this well. It’s a play-action concept with a front-side in-breaking route and a slot TE wheel that works behind.

Off the play-action fake, Nussmeier keeps his eyes over the middle of the field to bait the cornerback into committing to the in-breaker. At the top of his drop, he steps in and masterfully slides to avoid pressure, and then his focus shifts to the wheel route.

At this point, the nickel defender has picked up the wheel route, but his head is turned as he’s fighting to regain positioning. Nussmeier knows that, and because of this, his tight end has the eye advantage and will be able to make a play on the ball unobstructed. He fires a laser for a TD.

Of the 2026 NFL Draft QB prospects, Nussmeier is one of the best pre-snap and post-snap operators. He has line authority, strong processing ability and progression chops, situational awareness and field control, and the toughness to deliver in spite of the forces around him.

Nussmeier’s floor is very high with his intangible game. What will ultimately define his ceiling is his margin for error with mechanics and accuracy. He’s not a dynamic athlete, and he doesn’t have high-level arm strength. The latter limitation shows up at times on drive throws.

Nussmeier isn’t able to step up into this throw, and his base is too narrow, inhibiting rotation. He doesn’t have the raw arm strength to counteract this. As a result, the pass stalls before it’s able to carry to its intended target, and the WR has to work back into contact, rendering the pass incomplete.

In addition to his middling arm strength, Nussmeier also doesn’t have elite situational precision. He’s accurate to an area — that is, he consistently gives his receivers a chance to make a play. But there are times when he isn’t able to layer the ball or place it effectively to throw his man open.

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At times, Nussmeier will try to put too much drive on passes to compensate for his non-elite arm strength, sacrificing loft and trajectory. And on other occasions, his deep passes don’t have enough drive or carry to get past tight coverage. It’s a fine balance, and Nussmeier can struggle with both.

To combat these issues, Nussmeier needs to more consistently get full hip rotation on his drive throws and improve his situational precision on back-shoulder opportunities. For a quarterback of his style, precision isn’t negotiable. There are bright flashes on tape, but it needs to become an overbearing strength.

Therein lies the conundrum with Nussmeier’s evaluation. He’s a true student of the game with veteran presence and command behind the line. He’s an exceptional processor with the ability to anticipate, control the field, and find the right solutions. And he’s as steely as QBs come in pressure situations.

Nevertheless, Nussmeier’s overall physical skill set is close to average. He doesn’t have close to Burrow’s size, or close to Daniels’ athleticism, and his arm — while decent overall — is visibly non-elite. And on top of his physical limitations, arm arrogance and situational precision remain issues.

If Nussmeier can limit ill-advised risks and reach a higher echelon as an accuracy thrower, then Round 1 is a possibility. But as of now, he grades as an early-to-mid Day 2 prospect on my board.

Because of his physical limitations at almost 24 years old, Nussmeier will have to earn it more than most — but he also has an elite mental game on his side. With his savvy and craftiness, an arc similar to Tony Romo’s could be in the cards.

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