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Mel Kiper Jr. keeps Garrett Nussmeier out of his top 5 QB prospects for 2026 NFL Draft

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Mel Kiper Jr. is already breaking down the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft, ranking guys by their respective position as well as overall rank.

Quarterbacks are always going to be the near of the top when it comes to previewing the draft, and next year will be no different. During a segment on ESPN’s First Draft podcast with Field Yates, Kiper broke down and talked about his top 5 quarterback prospects.

One player missing from that list was LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier, who is being looked at as one of the biggest Heisman Trophy favorites in the country. According to Kiper, there are questions about his game management and offensive changes will be key to his season.

“I thought about putting him in there, and he certainly could have been in there,” Kiper said. “People are talking in glowing terms about Garrett and putting him in that elite, elite category. I didn’t see that on a consistent basis. He threw two or more interceptions in four games last year. Game management has to improve a little bit. It is going to be very interesting with Garrett Nussmeier to see how he works with a revamped offensive line.”

As Kiper mentioned, one of the biggest issues last year for Nussmeier was interceptions. It was particularly bad in the loss to Texas A&M, a game in which the Tigers were up 17-0. However, Nussmeier threw 3 interceptions, allowing the Aggies to storm back and get the win.

Nussmeier will get a big opportunity to improve his stock when LSU travels to face Clemson on the road in Week 1.

Mark Kern