Why Garrett Nussmeier slid to pick 249 before Chiefs took him in 2026 NFL Draft
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Why Garrett Nussmeier slid to pick 249 before Chiefs took him in 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Everyone knew Garrett Nussmeier dealt with injuries in his final season at LSU.
But this? Did anyone see him falling almost entirely out of the 2026 NFL Draft?
Nussmeier was viewed as a first-round pick entering the 2025 college football season.
Even after missing four games with an abdominal injury during a bumpier season with LSU, Nussmeier was still seen as a third- or fourth-round pick.
He was listed by some as high as the QB3 in this draft class.
Yet it took until pick 249 for the Kansas City Chiefs to select Nussmeier late in the seventh round.
.@LSUfootball QB Garrett Nussmeier got emotional after getting drafted to the @Chiefs 🥹
— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2026
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Why didn't Garrett Nussmeier get drafted until pick 249?
The reality is that no one knows the full answer.
His abdominal injury must've contributed. It may have looked concerning in physicals.
But almost out of the draft?
Did everyone besides the teams miss something?
It's clear all 32 teams were on the same page here, until the Chiefs decided to take a flier in the seventh round.
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At some point in the draft, teams start to shy away from quarterbacks that they aren't sure can turn into starters.
That's when they start to pick guys they feel good about as potential backups.
But did they really think Nussmeier couldn't be that?
There will be more questions to be answered in the days ahead.
But for now, Nussmeier gets a little celebration.
And hey -- learning from Patrick Mahomes will work out just fine.