Top college football QBs see NFL Draft stock slide after rough Week 5

Sports Illustrated's preseason No. 1 signal-caller is playing his way out of the first round of the NFL Draft. He has plenty of QB company in terms of NFL Draft prospects on the slide. In a season that has already been a tough one for some of the nation's presumed top passers, Week 5 dealt some major blows to a trio of highly-regarded QBs.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

It's Nussmeier who was the preseason SI No. 1 QB. He was the sole returning 4,000 yard passer in FBS football, but his early performances have been iffy. Nussmeier apparently battled an upper-body injury during preseason camp, but he's throwing the ball like a quarterback who might still be hurting. He had just 197 yards passing against Ole Miss, with 6.8 yards per pass attempt. Through five games, LSU has just 4 30+ yard pass plays, next to worst in the SEC. A year ago, Nuss and the Tigers had 23 of those plays. Given that he's also strugging in spots with accuracy, it's fair to wonder what NFL team would deign him worthy of a first-round pick at this point.

Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar was very ho-hum in an overtime loss to Oregon, throwing for just 137 yards and 5.5 yards per pass attempt. Despite opening Penn State's season against Nevada, Florida International, and Villanova, Allar hasn't topped 8.2 yards per pass so far this season-- a number he eclipsed seven times in 2024. Allar is one of those pro prospects who seems to click all the boxes, with 6'5" size and arm talent to complete all the throws. But if he doesn't do that in games, his scouting profile will matter less and less and he'll fade outside of the Draft's first round.

Taylen Green, Arkansas

When Green opened his season with 10 touchdowns in two weeks against an FCS opponent and a Sun Belt team, he seemed like a potential NFL Draft riser. But in the last three weeks, not only has Arkansas lost all three games, but Green has been exposed a bit. He barely connected on half of his passes against Notre Dame and managed just 6.5 yards per pass. He also has two touchdowns and three interceptions in those last three games. Green's running attack has remained strong, but he has to be more consistently accurate to avoid sliding back into the middle of the NFL Draft QB pack.