The 2026 NFL Draft at quarterback isn\u2019t what many expected it to be entering the 2025 college football season. Indiana\u2019s Fernando Mendoza is likely the No. 1 overall pick and one of the best prospects in the draft class, and then a bunch of question marks at the position after that.<\/p>\n
Quarterbacks like Alabama\u2019s Ty Simpson, Penn State\u2019s Drew Allar, Miami (FL)\u2019s Carson Beck and LSU\u2019s Garrett Nussmeier are all popular names after Mendoza, but all have concerns entering the NFL.<\/p>\n
One name that seems to be tied to the Pittsburgh Steelers quite a bit at quarterback in the draft class happens to be Nussmeier. And he has a personal connection to new head coach Mike McCarthy<\/a>, thanks to his dad, Doug, serving on McCarthy\u2019s Dallas Cowboys staff as the quarterbacks coach in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n Nussmeier currently projects as a mid-to-late Day 2 pick, one who could potentially be had in the third round. For NFL Network\u2019s Daniel Jeremiah, he plays a similar style of football as a former AFC North quarterback, one who had a lot of success during his time in the division.<\/p>\n On his pre-NFL Scouting Combine conference call with media members Thursday, Jeremiah compared Nussmeier to former Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton.<\/p>\n \u201cGarrett Nussmeier, a little undersized. He\u2019s not an elite athlete either, but kind of reminded me of an Andy Dalton style, a player with a compact delivery. He\u2019s decisive, he\u2019s got enough arm,\u201d Jeremiah said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t need a ton of foot space. He\u2019s gonna be able to direct traffic and set fronts and set protections and those things. So, son of a coach, he\u2019s gonna be really solid in that area.\u201d<\/p>\n Heading into the 2025 season, Nussmeier was talked about as a potential first-round pick. He was fresh off a huge 2024 season in which he threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns. But last season, Nussmeier took a step back behind a poor offensive line and limited playmakers. He threw for just 1,927 yards and 12 touchdowns while battling injuries all season.<\/p>\n That tough season hurt his draft stock greatly. But there\u2019s still a good quarterback in there worth taking a shot on, one who could develop into a solid starter like Dalton was for a long stretch in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n Of course, the Bengals never won a playoff game with Dalton under center, but they did have an explosive offense while he was in Cincinnati. With McCarthy at head coach and having a reputation as a QB whisperer, Nussmeier could be a nice developmental piece for the Steelers to take a swing on. Jeremiah said the third round is the \u201csweet spot\u201d for Nussmeier though he could see him sneaking into the second round.<\/p>\n No QB can help himself more this pre-draft process than Garrett Nussmeier. The talent is obvious. The consistency isn\u2019t\u2026yet.<\/p>\n He might have the widest draft range of any QB. The highs are special but the lows will frustrate coaches\/scouts. pic.twitter.com\/CYQcUjJfZx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Will Howard remains in the picture, too, but the Steelers can\u2019t put all their eggs in that developmental basket. Nussmeier was in a tough situation last year and the injuries hampered him. But the son of an NFL QB coach who has grown up around the game should be enticing.<\/p>\n He delivered a great performance at the Senior Bowl, earning game MVP honors and landing on Steelers Depot\u2019s Nate Kosko\u2019s winners list<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alex Kozora sees Nussmeier as a Jake Browning-type quarterback, one who can be a spot starter and a good backup. There might be more there moving forward, but that seems like a reasonable swing to take with one of the three third-round picks the Steelers have in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n After all, Dalton was a second-round pick and has gone on to start 169 games in the NFL. That seems like a reasonable comparison for Nussmeier at this point in the process.<\/p>\n