Todd McShay identifies college football QB moving up NFL draft boards

Todd McShay, the well-known NFL draft analyst, spent this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and one of his major takeaways was about a quarterback prospect many had written off after a disappointing 2025 season.

"Garrett Nussmeier is the story at quarterback," he said on his McShay Show podcast. "I thought he looked pretty good on the first day, second day I thought he looked really good, [third day] I thought he was -- and really the last two days -- the best quarterback. And it's not because of his size, it's not because of his elite arm, it's not because of his mobility. It's his feel for the game."

Nussmeier certainly needed a big Senior Bowl week after a disappointing, injury-shortened redshirt-senior season at LSU, as he passed for 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions over nine games.

But he revealed recently that his oblique injury impacted him throughout the season, changing the way he threw the ball and undercutting the big arm that passed for 4,052 yards, 29 TDs and 12 INTs in 2024.

“I couldn’t use my core,” Nussmeier said in a radio interview with former LSU stars Matt Flynn and Jacob Hester. “I’ve been having to just go back from the ground up and retrain myself, get back to finishing throws and rotating through the ball.”

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW‼️

On #OTB @JacobHester18 and @mflynn3 were joined by former #LSU QB @Garrettnuss13 to talk about his preparation for the NFL Draft and he also gives an update on his oblique injury! 🏈🏈🐯🐯 pic.twitter.com/uLDGIYnXNc
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) January 27, 2026

Nussmeier, a top-100 national prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, was a two-year starter for LSU, but his draft stock tumbled after his tumultuous final season in Baton Rouge.

The Senior Bowl is a prime opportunity for draft prospects to change perceptions or vault their stock, though, as NFL coaches, scouts and general managers convene in Mobile to watch practices and a game loaded with top college football stars.

Nussmeier earned Senior Bowl MVP honors, leading his American side to a 17-9 win over the National team on Saturday. He led touchdown drives on his team's first two possessions while 5 of 8 passes for 57 yards.

His numbers would have been better if not for a couple of drops by tight ends, one of which turned into an interception. Nussmeier had a rushing touchdown and connected with Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields for a two-point conversion throw.

Nussmeier is indeed an intriguing draft prospect in a pool of quarterbacks that seems pretty undefined beyond expected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

Prior to Nussmeier's Senior Bowl showcase, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. had him ranked the sixth-best QB draft prospect behind Mendoza, Alabama's Ty Simpson, Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss (who is still fighting for an extra year of college eligibility), Penn State's Drew Allar and Miami's Carson Beck.