What is Garrett Nussmeier's NFL standing after a rough 2025 campaign?
The 2025 season didn't go as planned for LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. So, what does his 2026 NFL Draft future look like?
LSU quarterback came into the 2026 NFL Draft cycle with a ton of summer buzz. Many had him as QB1 in the class, and he even had the highest grades among scouts entering the season; some even believe that he would have been drafted in the first round had he declared a year ago.
This season, Nussmeier was benched by the Tigers following the firing of head coach Brian Kelly, played in just nine games, and amassed just 1,927 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
I came into the season lower on Nussmeier. He was my QB5 entering the year, as I pushed back on the Nuss Bus hype from a year ago. We’ll dive into it in-depth here, but the combination of body type and physical tools led me to believe that the LSU quarterback fit the profile of a low-end starter and likely backup more than a mainstay in the starting lineup and first round pick.
That projection became even more true this year for Nussmeier. While there were reports that he was playing through an oblique injury, concerns arose more from his eyes than his tools, which led me to think the full picture isn’t marred by a potential injury.
So, let’s take a look at Nussmeier’s full profile here and give a 2026 NFL Draft projection:
