Why the Chiefs Selected a 24-Year-Old Former LSU Tigers QB in the 2026 NFL Draft
In the 2026 NFL Draft, in the seventh round, on their final pick, Kansas City selected quarterback Garrett Nussmeier out of LSU at 249th overall. Much of Chiefs Kingdom was left flabbergasted by the decision, confused, confounded, and the question, “Why?” was ubiquitous on social media. With many KC fans preferring the last pick to go toward a position like tight end, the choice of a quarterback seemed to be out of left field. For the Chiefs, it was left field, as well as right field, and the center of the field; all the areas needed to be thrown to by a competent backup QB when the possibility exists Justin Fields could be injured if Patrick Mahomes is still absent behind center with a knee injury. However, the concern for Fields being knocked out of play in 2026 is a short-term concern; the long-term concern is the fact that the former first-round pick is only under contract with the Chiefs through the 2026 season. Presented with this fact, drafting a high-floor rookie quarterback on a low-end contract who can learn under Andy Reid and Mahomes makes perfect sense.
A former backup to Jayden Daniels at LSU, Nussmeier was projected to be a first-round franchise savior after a stellar 2024 season when he threw for 4,052 yards and scored 29 touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per throw for a 64.2 completion percentage. The bloom would come off the rose, however, when Nussmeier was hampered by a knee injury and tightness in his torso during the 2025 campaign. He threw for 1,927 yards and scored just 12 touchdowns; gone was his quick release, he was now hesitant in the pocket, and his average per completion slipped to 6.7, with not getting on the same page as his receivers being part of the problem. Finally, Nussmeier was benched for Michael Van Buren Jr. for the last three weeks of the season. During the NFL Combine, it was discovered he had a cyst pressing on a nerve in his spine that affected his oblique, causing sharp pain in that area whenever he threw the ball. The once-projected Heisman candidate’s draft stock plummeted during and after the 2025 LSU season, landing him finally in the seventh round to be picked up by Kansas City.
Out of all the teams Nussmeier could have gone to, Kansas City is the best spot he could have landed. Coach Reid is aptly referred to as the quarterback whisperer and is one of the greatest NFL play callers to ever set foot on a field. In addition to Reid, the seventh-round pick has Mahomes to learn from, whose career start is better than that of Tom Brady. Fields will more than likely be moving on after the 2026 season, paving the way for Nussmeier’s apprenticeship under Mahomes to be his backup for the foreseeable future. The cyst on his spine has been asymptomatic since the Senior Bowl, but if necessary, it can be removed in a minimally invasive surgery with a two to three-week recovery time. With Hall of Fame-caliber tutelage at his disposal, the once celebrated Heisman prospect has everything he needs and then some to get back to his 2024 form.
