NFL Draft Analyst believes $3.7M NIL-valued QB is a mixture of Joe Burrow & Mac Jones as he releases his 2026 mock draft

NFL draft analyst Ryan Wilson has high praise for LSU Tigers starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

Nussmeier opted to return to LSU for 2025 to try and build up his draft stock even more. The quarterback is likely to be a top-10 pick, and Wilson believes he can play like Joe Burrow at times, but can also be Mac Jones at other times.

“Garrett Nussmeier can play like Joe Burrow at times, and then you talk about his downside, can look like Mac Jones,” Wilson said, at 3:20. “You have to understand what Garrett Nussmeier you are getting… When Garrett is on, and over the first two-thirds of the season, he was lights out. He can throw it into tight windows, down the stretch, it felt like he was pressing.”

Wilson is glad Nussmeier decided to return to school, as he feels like it’s best for his development.

The quarterback is earning $3.7 million in NIL, according to On3, so there was also a financial reason for him to return.

Nussmeier went 337-for-525 for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions last season at LSU. It was his first year as a starter, as he went to LSU in 2021 but was the backup for three years.

Garrett Nussmeier explains decision to return to LSU

Garrett Nussmeier opted to return to college, as he says he wasn’t happy with how his year went.

Nussmeier felt like he could be more consistent, and he also wants to help LSU get a championship as part of the reasons for returning.

“I felt like what ultimately led to it, I felt like the product I put out there for my teammates and these coaches who have put so much time in me, I feel like wasn’t as consistent as I wanted it to be. There’s a whole level that I can tap into and I felt like I owed my coaches, my teammates that opportunity for us to be playing at such a high level, where I’m playing at such a high level where we can go where we want it to go,” Nussmeier said, via 247Sports.

“We’ve talked about going to the national championship and I want to be here to lead that, to be the guy that pushes that forward.”

Nussmeier enters 2025 with the second-best odds to win the Heisman at +900, which implies a 10% chance.

Nussmeier and LSU will open their 2025 college football season on August 30 against Clemson.

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Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton