The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the more active teams in the 2026 NFL Draft, and that was true right up until the end of the action. Even in the seventh round, the Chiefs’ selections caught attention, as their decision to bring LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to town turned heads.
Nussmeier entered the draft as one of the top quarterback prospects available, but he ended up falling all the way to the seventh round. With Patrick Mahomes recovering from a torn ACL and LCL, the team decided to take a flier on Nussmeier, and he made it very clear how he feels to have been selected by Kansas City in the draft.
Garrett Nussmeier Dishes on Landing with the Chiefs
While Mahomes is expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign, the Chiefs aren’t taking any chances when it comes to their quarterback depth. The front office already swung a trade with the New York Jets for Justin Fields earlier this offseason, and now, they have brought Nussmeier to town to work as a developmental prospect.
After starring for LSU in 2024 (337/525, 4,052 YDS, 29 TD, 12 INT), Nussmeier struggled with injuries in 2025, as he threw for just 1,927 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine games of action. Ahead of the draft, a cyst was found on Nussmeier’s spine, and while that likely explains his injury woes from last year, it also deterred some teams from drafting him.
Eventually, Nussmeier found his way to the Chiefs at the No. 249 pick. While the former Tigers quarterback feels he did not deserve to fall as far down the board as he did, he was happy to have landed with Kansas City, as he will have a chance to learn from Mahomes and legendary head coach Andy Reid to begin his career.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” Nussmeier said, per Nate Taylor of ESPN. “I felt like I was sitting there waiting forever. I couldn’t have been more excited to see that [816] area code pop up … It was difficult for me sitting there and not understanding why. Obviously, I have belief in myself and where I believe I should have been valued. I said throughout this entire process it’s not when, it’s where. I couldn’t be more blessed to go to such a great team.”
Chiefs Add Another Layer of Depth to Their Quarterback Position
GettyLSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier interacting with the media during the NFL Combine.
Nussmeier has some concerns surrounding him, but he also has quite a bit of upside that K.C. could look to tap into. The Chiefs aren’t looking to replace Mahomes anytime soon, and it’s probably a stretch to even suggest that Nussmeier will eventually take over for him under center. There are a lot of question marks surrounding Mahomes, though, so it’s better to be protected at the QB spot than be scrambling for answers if something goes wrong.
At the very least, Kansas City is going to work with Nussmeier and see if it can turn him into a valuable backup behind Mahomes. If that happens, the team could find itself with a nice trade asset if it is looking for some more draft capital down the line. For now, though, all the Chiefs are concerned about is getting Nussmeier to town and beginning his developmental process.
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