LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has not had the season that he had envisioned when he came in as a fifth-year senior who stuck it out and is now wearing No. 18.

Nussmeier entered the year as a Heisman favorite and potential first quarterback taken. The latter could still happen, but he doesn't have much longer to think things out.

The gunslinger just hasn't looked himself. His deep passing game has disappeared, and there has been very little explosiveness on offense.

He was reportedly dealing with a torso injury during fall camp and should be back to 100% once they get to the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

If the passer comes back and looks himself for the rest of the season, then all of these worries go away. He still has the tools to go in the first round; he just needs to display them.

The latest mock draft from Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic has Nussmeier remaining in the first round, but falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20. It's a drop from previously having him in the top five, but it shows that there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding him.

One area that Nussmeier has excelled in this year is dominating over the middle of the field.

Per Pro Football Focus, Nussmeier has completed 81 of 104 pass attempts this year for 877 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.

On the season as a whole, he is 115-of-171 for 1,159 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. That means that almost all of his production has come over the middle of the field.

That's when watching him feels like watching the Garrett Nussmeier that everyone has come to know and love over the last few years. He can bullet the passes into tight windows and make you go, "wow." 

Then, he tries to go outside the numbers, and the wheels fall off. A torso injury would explain why he looks so uncomfortable going for deep passes this year. It'll be the first thing everyone watches once the Gamecocks game comes on.

The quarterback whom everyone expected this season is still inside of Nussmeier. In order for the offense to work consistently, that is going to need to come out again.

The good news for his quest to become the first overall pick is that no one else has really stood out so far in a way to make them locks to be quarterback one. There is plenty of space in the room for more competition.