Longtime NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay spent last week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and eyed around 70 players who are hoping to raise their stock to hear their name called in a couple of months.
The Senior Bowl has been regarded as the top showcase for college seniors, and one SEC quarterback impressed McShay with his performance throughout the week during his podcast.
“Garrett Nussmeier is the story at quarterback,” he said on his McShay Show podcast. “I thought he looked pretty good on the first day, second day I thought he looked really good, [third day] I thought he was, and really the last two days, the best quarterback. And it’s not because of his size, it’s not because of his elite arm, it’s not because of his mobility. It’s his feel for the game.”
Nussmeier was in need of a big outing this week at the Senior Bowl as he saw his draft stock simmer a bit after a disastrous season at LSU riddled by injuries and failure to reach high expectations.
Battled Injuries
He finished the year with 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions across nine games for the Tigers. However, his performance over the weekend righted some wrongs from his senior year.
What many outside of Baton Rouge knew was Nussmeier’s struggles were caused due to an oblique injury that changed how he played after passing for more than 4,000 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024.
“I couldn’t use my core,” Nussmeier told former LSU stars Matt Flynn and Jacob Hester during a radio interview. “I’ve been having to just go back from the ground up and retrain myself, get back to finishing throws and rotating through the ball.”
Nussmeier was considered a top-100 prospect out of high school, playing sporadically throughout his first three seasons at the college level. He started the previous two seasons for the Tigers after Heisman winner Jayden Daniels was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Due to other external factors surrounding the LSU program, it ultimately impacted Nussmeier’s draft stock during his final collegiate season.
MVP Performance
With is performance, Nussmeier earned Senior Bowl MVP honors by leading his American roster to a 17-9 victory over the National roster on Saturday. He completed 5-of-8 passes for 57 yards and led a pair of touchdown drives.
One of his three incompletions were due to a pair of drops, including one that led to an interception. He did connect on a two-point conversion to Notre Dame wideout Malachi Fields late in the game.
Most NFL Draft pundits have listed Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick. But after him it’s completely wide open as many of the top passers have decided to remain in college another year.
