Even though LSU did not have the season most expected last year, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier still had a great season, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Nuessmeier carried his team throughout the season, and the expectations in Baton Rouge are that he is expected to have another good season.
So, it shouldn’t be a shocker that, in early 2026 NFL Draft evaluations, he is ahead of Heisman favorite Arch Manning.
According to the NFL experts at AtoZ Sports, they are in awe of Nussmeier and his arm. Which is why they think he will be the first SEC quarterback taken in next year’s draft.
“You could make a case that last season there really wasn’t a better quarterback in a clean pocket than Garrett Nussmeier. Now, granted, he had one of the best offensive lines in the entire country, but he still made some extremely impressive throws. I’m not sure that the offensive line will be as good now as it was in 2024, considering they lost a few guys to the 2025 NFL Draft, but it won’t be bad. They do have an extremely impressive group of weapons around him thanks to the addition of transfer wide receivers Barion Brown and Nic Anderson.
Nussmeier has pretty strong arm talent, and in Brian Kelly’s offense, he will get to show that off plenty. I ultimately have him going as a first-round pick, possibly later on day one. Nussmeier doesn’t really have the frame or size of a prototype NFL quarterback, but he should be great this season–perhaps the best QB in the country.” – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports
Nussmeier’s stock can rise if he has a Joe Burrow-type season with the Tigers. If he can put up those types of numbers or even close to it, he may end up as the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.