NFL Draft Analyst reveals new details surrounding KC Chiefs rookie QB Garrett Nussmeier’s precipitous fall in the 2026 NFL Draft
Garrett Nussmeier was once considered among the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. His free-fall to the Kansas City Chiefs to pick No. 249 wasn’t just about his 2025 injury, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
Kansas City Chiefs fans now know a little bit more about why QB Garrett Nussmeier fell so far to pick No. 249 in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert, Dane Brugler, recently revisited his initial Top-50 Big Board for the 2026 NFL Draft, which he published in August of 2025. He does this to ensure full transparency about what went right and what went wrong with various prospects. The Chiefs lucked out, in a sense, by securing two players that Brugler previously ranked inside the top 10.
The Chiefs landed two top-10 picks in Dane Brugler’s initial 2026 NFL Draft Big Board
Funny enough, the Chiefs’ No. 6 overall pick, LSU CB Mansoor Delane, did not rank inside Brugler’s top-50 prospects. He was a transfer from Virginia Tech with a lot to prove at LSU in the SEC.
- No. 1: Peter Woods
- No. 10: Garrett Nussmeier
Woods’ fall from the top prospect to pick No. 29 had a lot to do with personal performance and team underperformance in 2025. Similarly, Nussmeier dealt with an injury that impacted his on-field performance in 2025. However, there was another factor that Brugler revealed, which was previously unknown.
Garrett Nussmeier’s fall in the 2026 NFL Draft wasn’t all about his health
Dane Brugler had Nussmeier ranked as his No. 10 overall prospect in August 2025, but he’d actually end up going 239 picks later to Kansas City. Nussmeier’s draft stock was believed to have dropped due to a 2025 season plagued by a mysterious oblique injury. That was later diagnosed as a spinal cyst at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, which was pressing on a nerve, causing the oblique pain. It was actually something else at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine that seemed to contribute to Nussmeier’s fall in the draft, per Brugler.
“What a strange path for Nussmeier. He started building buzz during the 2024 season as a future NFL starter, and several teams gave him first-round grades last summer. He was the highest-graded senior by BLESTO scouting service. However, an injury that never properly healed sidetracked his 2025 season, affecting his productivity and development.
“Finally healthy again, Nussmeier was the best quarterback at the Senior Bowl. However, according to multiple team sources, his predraft interviews were less than stellar. Still, considering how many fans he had around the league a year ago, it was shocking to see him free-fall on draft weekend.”
DANE BRUGLER
NFL DRAFT EXPERT – THE ATHLETIC
This wouldn’t be the first time that pre-draft interviews hurt a player’s draft stock. Just a season ago, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders reportedly had poor interviews at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
The rest of the league might be kicking themselves about this one in the long run. If the Chiefs wind up getting the equivalent of a top-10 talent at the quarterback position because of some poor interviews at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, that’d be a coup for Kansas City. They’re already immeasurably rich at quarterback with Patrick Mahomes. Nussmeier could prove that the on-field talent is bigger than any interview or mystery injury.