Garrett Nussmeier
In his first season as the starting quarterback for the LSU Tigers after spending time behind eventual Heisman winner and first-round pick Jayden Daniels, Garrett Nussmeier has had an up-and-down season. Through ten games Nussmeier has 3,126 passing yards to go along with 22 touchdowns.
When watching Nussmeier play, he looks the part of a prototypical pocket passer who throws a very accurate, catchable ball with an easy, repeatable throwing motion. His downfield throws are especially beautiful as he displays an innate ability to throw with touch and layer the ball over the middle of the field.
Not a perfect player by any means, he has struggled as the season goes along. His inexperience shows up in his post-match processing where he oftentimes makes the right decision, but is too late to trigger. Unfortunately, he is not the type of quarterback who can get away with these mistakes as his arm is just average in terms of downfield strength and velocity. His answers to pressure have also gotten worse as he now tends to fade away as opposed to climbing up in the pocket.
Of course, Nussmeier is in his first full season as the starter, and at 22 years old he is still growing. Yes, he is more than likely maxed out as an athlete but if he can speed up his process mentally, there is a chance he becomes an average starter at the next level.
For Raider Nation, most of the fanbase would likely love to see an average quarterback play in Las Vegas after being subjected to both Jimmy Garoppolo and Gardner Minshew in subsequent seasons. If the Raiders can't get their guy at the top of the first round, a second-round selection of Nussmeier would do just fine.