Garrett Nussmeier entered the 2025 college football season as a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite and a projected first-round pick. He exited it as one of the most polarizing evaluations in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Two quarterbacks went off the board in Round 1 on Thursday night: Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders and Ty Simpson at No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams. Will the LSU senior be selected on Day 2 of the draft?
Where Will Garrett Nussmeier Be Drafted? Steelers Emerge as Day 2 Favorite
PFSN lead draft analyst Ian Cummings projects that Nussmeier will be the third quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he has a landing spot in mind.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers felt like a prime candidate to be in contention for Ty Simpson at 21, but the Rams’ selection at No. 13 overall foiled any possibility of that union,” Cummings wrote. “Now, however, the Steelers have four more Top 100 picks. That’s the kind of ammunition they need to potentially land Nussmeier as a solid consolation prize at decent value. In Mike McCarthy’s scheme, with Max Iheanachor boosting up his protection unit, Nussmeier could reach close to his maximum outcome.”
Pittsburgh used its No. 21 pick on Iheanachor, the Arizona State tackle, after Los Angeles surprised the league with the Simpson selection. The Steelers still hold picks at No. 53, No. 76, No. 85, and No. 99, so they will have plenty of opportunities to take Nussmeier off the board.
The industry consensus matches Cummings’ read. ESPN’s Matt Miller mocked Nussmeier to Pittsburgh at No. 53 in his post-Round 1 projection. PFSN’s Jacob Infante has him going to the Steelers at No. 85 in his post-Round 1 mock draft.
Aaron Rodgers remains unsigned as of Friday, and it remains to be seen if he will play football in 2026. It certainly seems that he’s weighing retirement or a return to Pittsburgh. Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are the only quarterbacks currently on the Steelers’ roster, with Howard taking QB1 reps at voluntary minicamp earlier this week.
It is a QB room built for a developmental mid-round addition rather than an immediate starter, which matches Nussmeier’s profile.
Garrett Nussmeier Scouting Report: Andy Dalton Comp and PFSN Grades
Cummings’ ceiling comp is a pro starter with staying power, not a bust-risk flag.
“He has a relatively translatable skill set as a spot-starter or potential mid-level starter at his peak, in the range of Andy Dalton,” Cummings wrote. “He’s a high-level pre-snap processor, a capable game manager, and a crafty creator in spite of his limited tools.”
Nussmeier measures 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, and Cummings describes his arm as “middling.” What made him a 2024 Heisman contender was the mental side.
“He’s one of the most advanced processors in the class, with moments of high-level pre-snap command, anticipation, and gunslinger grit on film,” Cummings said.
Nussmeier threw for 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions before interim coach Frank Wilson benched him in November. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Combine testing revealed a cyst on Nussmeier’s spine that was the source of the oblique pain he played through all year. Doctors have cleared him.
Last season, he posted a PFSN CFB QB Impact grade of 75.9, a C-range score that ranked 110th among 2025 quarterbacks. His QBi grade ranked in the 43rd percentile and his net yards per attempt were in the 34th percentiles. With that said, he faced a 97th-percentile strength of schedule — the toughest slate among draftable quarterbacks.
“With the right support and time to reset, he has the requisite mental acuity, and could carve out a career similar to Andy Dalton at his best,” Cummings sums up.
That’s what the team spending a Day 2 pick on him is hoping for, but it remains to be seen when his name will be called.
