Josh Frey’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
As we get further into the 2026 NFL Draft, a big question teams will be forced to ask themselves is “when is the right time to target a QB?”
Obviously, Fernando Mendoza likely will end up being the No. 1 overall pick, but after that, it’s a bit of a tossup as to when the rest of the QB class could begin going off the board. One of the quarterbacks hoping to get his name called sooner than later is LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier.
Background
Statistics
- 2021: 29/57 (50.9%), 328 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs (4 games)
- 2022: 52/84 (61.9%), 800 yards, 5 TDs, 4 INTs (7 games)
- 2023: 48/78 (61.5%), 591 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT (7 games)
- 2024: 337/525 (64.2%), 4052 yards, 29 TDs, 12 INTs (13 games)
- 2025: 194/288 (67.5%), 1927 yards, 12 TDs, 5 INTs (9 games)
Measurables
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 203
- Hand Size: 9 1/8″
- Arm Length: 30 3/8″
- 40Yard Dash: N/A
- 10-Yard Split: N/A
- 20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
- Vertical: N/A
- Broad Jump: N/A
- 3-Cone: N/A
- Bench: N/A
Nussmeier spent three seasons as a backup quarterback at LSU, including spending a year behind former No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels. Nussmeier finally got his chance to start for the Tigers in 2024, and he took full advantage with an explosive year.
That prompted some extraordinarily high expectations heading into 2025, but instead of taking another leap forward, Nussmeier regressed. It didn’t help that he suffered a pretty serious injury prior to the season that may have been misdiagnosed. Now, he is widely viewed as a mid-round pick after spending much of last offseason as a candidate to rise into the first round.
Strengths
Nussmeier has a very quick, repeatable release, so he has many of his throwing mechanics down at this point. That snappy release leads to a lot of completions in the short and intermediate portions of the field.
If you watch Nussmeier’s play in 2024 before his injury, you’ll notice a ton of velocity on throws and an ability to really push the ball downfield. However, that wasn’t as evident in 2025, which could be a cause for concern heading into the NFL.
Finally, Nussmeier has some underrated athletic ability in the pocket. He definitely can scoot for some yards when he needs to, and he has some strong footwork to dance around pressure in the pocket.
Weaknesses
As aforementioned, it might be tough for NFL teams to fully trust Nussmeier given how different he looked in 2025 following his injury compared to pre-injury in 2024. He obviously was hampered by his abdominal injury, so perhaps a full offseason to recover can help (there is evidence that this could be the case following his Senior Bowl performance).
The LSU product isn’t exactly a conservative quarterback, either. He’s more than willing to try and fit throws into tight windows. Sometimes it works, and sometimes a throw away would have been better. Less speed on these tight-window throws in 2025 resulted in results leaning more towards the latter.
Nussmeier’s size will also raise some eyebrows at 6’2″ and just 203 pounds. He’s already suffered a significant injury at the collegiate level, so that could become a problem while taking NFL punishment.
2026 NFL Draft Projection
- NFL Draft Projection: Day 3 (Early-Mid Round 4)
- Team Fits: Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets
Nussmeier has shown flashes of talent to develop into an NFL starter, but right now, he is almost certainly better off in a position where he can sit behind a veteran and really hone in his skills before taking the reins of an offense.
Editor’s Note: Statistics from Pro Football Focus helped with this article.
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