Former LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier battles a persistent abdominal injury, impacting his Senior Bowl performance and NFL draft stock. Can he overcome it for teams?
While going to an important job interview, most people want to give their 100%. This week at the Senior Bowl, former LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will not have that luxury.
That's what this week is for football players. They are interviewing for one job with 32 different potential employers. Nussmeier has a chance to salvage this season a bit and work his way to becoming possibly the second or third quarterback taken in this draft class still.
The problem? He is still dealing with the abdominal issue that derailed his final year in Baton Rouge. The quarterback told reporters after his team's first practice that, while he cannot go into full detail, he would not consider himself at 100%. He's "getting there" but still not fully healthy.
This injury has been hard to follow. It was suffered before his final season began, and there were conflicting reports about how serious it was for weeks. Once he took the field, though, it didn't take long before everyone noticed that he wasn't the same quarterback he had been before.
Nussmeier entered the season with Heisman hopes and thoughts of being a top-five NFL draft selection. He ended the year being benched in favor of Michael Van Buren Jr.
The fifth-year senior completed a career-high 67.4% of his passes, but only had 1,927 yards with 12 touchdowns to five interceptions. Moreso than just the production being worse, he didn't pass the eye test.
He wasn't able to throw the ball deep at all, which hurt, as his cannon of an arm was one of his biggest calling cards in the first place. It was a lot of dink-and-dunk passes that went nowhere.
Part of it was poor playcalling by offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, but his play selection was clearly limited by Nussmeier's injury. Both played roles in each other, not exclusively one person's fault.
It could have ruined the passer's NFL prospects, but the decision-making of peers, like Dante Moore returning to school, has weakened this draft class. More teams need quarterbacks than there really are available.
Fernando Mendoza is going to be the first pick. Ty Simpson seems to be locked into place as the second quarterback to be taken, but less of a sure thing than Mendoza.
If Nussmeier can perform at the Senior Bowl despite the injury, he could have the chance to rocket up the team's draft boards. It takes just one team to fall in love. He will also have the opportunity to meet with every team over the week, which is something he should excel at.
When healthy, the quarterback was productive and looked like an NFL-level player. He has plenty of tape from the 2024 season for teams to evaluate. He just has to show that he can still be that guy, which is where the lingering abdominal injury really hurts.