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 the Tigers 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 wasn't happy with how his year went. Nussmeier felt he could be more consistent and also wanted 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," Nussmeier said. "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.

"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 Trophy at +900, which implies a 10% chance.

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