Garrett Nussmeier slide finally ends in seventh round of 2026 NFL Draft
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Garrett Nussmeier’s long wait finally ended early Saturday night, during the dying picks of the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
At long last, the oft-injured quarterback from LSU was selected, realizing his NFL dreams when the Kansas City Chiefs came calling. The Chiefs took Nussmeier with the 249th overall pick of the draft, as Nussmeier barely avoided the stigma of being an undrafted quarterback with just 8 draft picks to spare in this weekend’s edition in Pittsburgh.
But Nussmeier’s patience and maybe some impatience from LSU fans finally paid off when the franchise that’s won 3 of the past 7 Super Bowl championships thought enough of him despite all of the injury baggage and subsequent question marks that Nussmeier carried into this draft. Nussmeier was the 33rd pick of the seventh round alone, but the 6-foot-2, 203-pounder from Lake Charles, La., will be heading a little north to Kansas City to try to launch his NFL career.
Once thought as a potential top draft pick, Nussmeier slid completely out of the first 2 days of this draft and almost entirely out of it. He had Heisman Trophy potential entering the 2025 season, but injuries marred his last campaign in Baton Rouge and thus began his tumble in NFL Draft circles.
He finished with over 7,000 yards passing during his LSU career, tossing 52 touchdown passes to just 24 interceptions. But after a breakout 2024 season when Nussmeier threw for 4,043 yards and 29 touchdowns, those injuries sacked his 2025 season, when he was limited to 9 games and threw for less than 2,000 yards.
It was that last impression in 2025 that was the root of Nussmeier’s wait this weekend, but the Chiefs made his patience pay off. With the uncertainty of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s dealing with a torn ACL suffered last season, Nussmeier’s patience could be rewarded with some unexpected playing time early that he wouldn’t be in line for if Mahomes was healthy.
With the uncertainty of Mahomes’ injury and the Denver Broncos’ arrival last season as new kings of the AFC West, it remains to be seen what Nussmeier’s arrival will mean for the Chiefs in the division. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds for the Chiefs to recapture control of the division after so many years at the top:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
