Inside Garrett Nussmeier's NFL Draft Slide: Kansas City Chiefs Pick LSU Football's QB

LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has officially been selected with the No. 249 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with the Kansas City Chiefs making the call in the seventh round.

Nussmeier, a two-year starter for the Bayou Bengals, put his name on the map across the 2024 season where he strung together an impressive junior campaign as the starter.

Across the 2024 season as QB1, Nussmeier compiled 4,052 yards passing, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 142.7 rating (337-of-525). He completed 64.2 percent of his passing attempts.

Nussmeier threw for over 7,000 yards during his time in Baton Rouge, but a challenging 2025 season is the one that NFL evaluators kept tabs on heading into NFL Draft preparation.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder out of Lake Charles (La.) entered the 2025 season spearheading the Heisman Trophy conversation - sitting as a prospect that was in talks as a potential No. 1 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But an unspecified "core" injury during Fall Camp carried into the 2025 season where Nussmeier's production plummeted with NFL evaluators remaining skeptical on his future.

.@LSUfootball QB Garrett Nussmeier got emotional after getting drafted to the @Chiefs 🥹

NFL Draft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3EWBi8ShHI
— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2026

The Injury Update: Pre-Draft Report

“Garrett Nussmeier underwent tests at the NFL combine that revealed a cyst on his spine — the root cause of the persistent oblique pain that derailed his 2025 season, sources say,” Tom Pelissero wrote on X. “The cyst was pressing on a nerve, causing discomfort in Nussmeier’s oblique.

“He has been asymptomatic since just prior to the Senior Bowl and all throughout the draft process; if that changes down the road, Nussmeier could undergo a minimally invasive procedure and miss just 2-3 weeks while stitches heal.

"Either way, doctors say, there is no short- or long-term risk for Nussmeier, who is projected a mid-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft.“

The Buzz: Nussmeier Slips To Round 7

The former LSU Tigers signal-caller's slide is the storyline of the 2026 NfL Draft, but with Patrick Mahomes nursing back a torn ACL suffered last season, it presents an opportunity for Nussmeier to compete with Justin Fields for meaningful snaps in camp.

"I want to prove that I belong in the NFL. I believe I belong in this league and so I'm looking for any opportunity. Whatever opportunity that may be, whether it's a backup role right away or an on-field role right away, I just wanna prove that I am who I say I am and I belong in this league," Nussmeier said at the NFL Combine.

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