LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has seen his name pop up in several first round 2025 NFL mock drafts recently, and it needs to stop
In a collaboration between Charles McDonald and Nate Tice, Yahoo Sports released a new 2025 NFL mock draft on Wednesday. That mock draft set X ablaze, including several controversial picks in the top ten of the piece. Perhaps the biggest controversy was at No. 10, where the New York Giants selected LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. […]
In a collaboration between Charles McDonald and Nate Tice, Yahoo Sports released a new 2025 NFL mock draft on Wednesday. That mock draft set X ablaze, including several controversial picks in the top ten of the piece. Perhaps the biggest controversy was at No. 10, where the New York Giants selected LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
“Nuss Buss” was the third quarterback selected in that mock draft, following Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) at No. 5 to the Cleveland Browns, and Cameron Ward (Miami) going at No. 8 to the Los Angeles Rams. This wasn’t the first time we have seen Nussmeier go in a first round mock draft recently, but it is certainly about the highest we have seen.
Here is what the duo had to say about the Nussmeier selection:
“Surprise? Get used to seeing this name in mock drafts. Nussmeier has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country and has operated the LSU offense with extreme ease and efficiency. He could be the next face of the Giants if he keeps up this pace.”
There was only one other quarterback taken in the first round, seeing the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Georgia signal caller Carson Beck at No. 21 overall. Beck falling a bit after his early season struggles isn’t overly shocking. Seeing Jalen Milroe (Alabama) not selected, however, was a bit of a surprise.
We could have a conversation about which quarterbacks should have been selected before Nussmeier all day, but let’s not detract from the more important issue, Nussmeier isn’t a first round player. When evaluating to the next level, we must be careful with players who are products of systems, and begin to isolate them as individual players.
As a pure talent, Nussmeier leaves a lot to be desired. For a player who is lauded for his arm strength, he struggles to push the ball down the field. There is just no consistency working the deep portions of the field right now.
From an athleticism perspective, Nussmeier is also well below average. He’s a pure pocket passer, which is fine, but pretty limiting if you aren’t able to push the ball down the field. If anything, we are looking at a backup quarterback on the next level more than likely. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you obviously aren’t taking that player in the first round, and definitely not in the top ten.
People love to bring up raw numbers when speaking about Nussmeier but never mention that he threw for 302 yards and six touchdowns against Nicholls, or the 409 yards he threw against South Alabama last week. LSU fans don’t like to include that context, especially when it pokes a hole in their argument.
Am I realistically supposed to believe that an NFL scout or decision maker is going to look at Nussmeier next to a player like Milroe or even Beck and think, “that’s my guy.” There are some positive things that Nussmeier brings to the table, but let’s not make him something he’s not.
In a lot of ways, his game is very reminiscent of former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who was selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 15 overall selection a few cycles ago. Is it possible that Nussmeier has some level of success in the perfect situation? For sure, but the minute it isn’t perfect, the limitations will become very apparent.
The first round talk about Nussmeier seems very hyperbolic for some good play in 2024. In a recent conversation with a league source about Nussmeier, I was told that he had seen several mid to late day three grades on him so far. There’s little question that Nussmeier is a good college quarterback, but bonafide first rounder who is the face of a franchise, absolutely not.
Imagine the look of Giants fans’ faces when they ditch Daniel Jones in favor of Nussmeier. We can’t keep kicking that fanbase when they are down.
