Garrett Nussmeier is a quarterback from LSU who is ranked No. 100 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Nussmeier’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
To view where I rank other draft prospects heading into this week’s slate of college football games, visit my Week 9 Top 100 Big Board.
Garrett Nussmeier’s NFL Draft Potential
Garrett Nussmeier has been, remains, and will be one of the most confounding evaluations in the 2026 NFL Draft class. A redshirt senior who eclipsed 4,000 yards passing in 2024, Nussmeier has fielded plenty of first-round buzz — both due to the 2026 NFL Draft’s relative scarcity at QB and his NFL connection as the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier — but the tape and the tangibles don’t always match that reputation.
Nussmeier will likely measure in close to 6’0″ and around 205 or 210 pounds. He’s not powerfully built, nor is he a high-level athlete. His arm is above-average but not elite, and while he has some off-script mettle with his arm elasticity and angle freedom, he’s not an overly dynamic creator. For a player with tools as limited as Nussmeier’s, the intangibles have to be rock-solid, and while Nussmeier has the hyper-elite processing to boost his game up, the other operational qualities don’t always rise to meet that mental acuity.
To be clear, Nussmeier is one of the best raw processors in the 2026 NFL Draft class — both pre-snap and post-snap. Like a true coach’s son, he can use checks at the line to clear up defensive looks and get his offense in favorable position, and he consistently has a quick answer when he’s hot.
But these moments of operational brilliance are marred by confounding forced throws, poor decisions under pressure, and startling lapses in situational precision. An abdominal injury this season hasn’t helped with Nussmeier’s comfort, and has visibly affected his velocity generation and mechanical comfort.
Having said all this, when Nussmeier is healthy, he has enough arm strength to hit tight short and intermediate windows, and he’s shown he can adjust his shoulder tilt and arm angle to add loft and touch on throws.
He’s a crafty play extender in spite of his middling tools — a trait that has earned him some comparisons to Tony Romo — but I liken him more to an Andy Dalton type of QB. He may never have the necessary traits or unflinching operational consistency to get his team over the hump, but he can be a respectable NFL starter at a more manageable price.
Where Is Nussmeier Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Nussmeier currently holds the No. 49 overall rank among prospects, positioning him as a Day 2 prospect. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 56.8 as of October 13 reflects that he is typically being selected in the second or third round.
The gap between his rank and ADP indicates that while he’s highly regarded on our board, draft simulators are seeing him slide slightly, possibly due to team needs or positional value considerations.
Users controlling the New Orleans Saints have been the team that selected Nussmeier the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 4.8% of their picks across all seven rounds.
Notably, 12.4% of the New Orleans Saints’ first-round selections over that same period were used on Nussmeier, underscoring users’ strong preference for him as a potential immediate-impact quarterback.
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Where Does Garrett Nussmeier Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Nussmeier is currently ranked No. 100 overall in my October 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among QB prospects, Nussmeier ranks 7th at the position, trailing prospects like Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore, Ty Simpson. Currently ranked in the top 100, Nussmeier will look to increase their draft stock in the coming months.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
