It’s been a busy week on the blog so I just wanted to write a few quick things today before we get into another weekend of college football.
I’d highly recommend checking out Jim Nagy’s appearance on Todd McShay’s new show (see above). This is the best kind of intel — from a personnel expert with genuine connections, speaking to teams, as we prepare for Senior Bowl invites to be handed out.
A couple of things stood out to me.
Firstly, Jim’s description of Garrett Nussmeier. He says if he declares he will be a first round pick and that he has the highest upside of all the quarterbacks eligible for 2025. He refers to his gunslinger nature stating:
“I like it. Maybe it’s because my first job in the league was around Brett Favre. I feel like you can rein that in. It’s hard to coach ‘balls’ into a player. And you’ve got to have some balls to play at the next level. Those windows are going to be smaller, you have to trust your arm to a degree, you’ve got to let it rip — and he’s got that.”
This caught my ear. The one thing I think John Schneider really wants his quarterback to be is a fearless gunslinger. I think he’s attracted to players who flirt with risk to make things happen. He too was around Favre. He’s coveted Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen — who were both massive risk takers in college. The players he’s gone after — Charlie Whitehurst, Drew Lock, Sam Howell — they’re all in that bracket too. Russell Wilson had 30 interceptions in college.
Nussmeier isn’t the kind of athlete Wilson, Allen and Lock were. Mahomes was more elusive and creative and just did things at Texas Tech you can’t teach. I still think Jim’s analysis is relevant and something to stash away for later.
I’ve talked a fair bit about whether he might return to LSU next year. Jim touched on that subject too, suggesting he thinks it’s a possibility. It’s pretty clear on tape he could benefit from more game experience and nothing about his college career so far has been rushed. If I had to guess, I don’t think he turns pro.
If he does though, keep an eye on him. I do think Schneider will be attracted to his mental make-up as the son of a prominent NFL coach, his qualities commanding a huddle, the gunslinger approach to the game and the fact he’s making so many attractive NFL-level throws on tape. Whether he likes him enough to believe he’s a future NFL star is a different question — especially when the Seahawks have major problems on the offensive line to address too.
One of the other things we’ve talked a lot about this year is the inflated hype on Cam Ward. There are an increasing number of mocks putting him in the top-five, while suggesting he’s among the top ranked players in the draft. It’s stuff like this that becomes very frustrating with ‘draft media’. You want to just praise the way he’s elevated his stock from a late round pick to potential day two pick. Instead, you constantly have to push back on the unrealistic hype and it sounds like you’re being negative about him all the time — because you’re trying to offer needed perspective. I’ve made this point numerous times during the college season.
Jim’s view on the situation isn’t just validating for the way we’ve approached this subject, it’s also worth paying attention to as you take in all these mock drafts doing the rounds:
As I said, check out the full piece in Todd McShay’s new show above, it’s worth a watch.
A final quick reminder of what’s been on the blog this week so if you missed any of this, check it out — there’s a lot of worthy content:
— Our article mapping out how the Seahawks might be able to fix their offensive line in the off-season (click here)
— College football scouting notes for week nine, including why Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer impressed against Maryland (click here)
— Please check out my latest show with Puck Sports discussing the O-line woes and the fixes available. I think we touched on some big points (click here)
— I’d also recommend my hour with Jeff Simmons from Monday discussing the Seahawks — it’s a great breakdown and debate on where the team is at (click here)
