Winners, Losers & Takeaways As Garrett Nussmeier Rebuilds Draft Stock During Senior Bowl's Day 3

Senior Bowl week can be brutal on quarterbacks, because it's not an environment conducive for quick success thanks to learning a new system on the fly, getting to know new coaches and throwing to mostly new targets. This setup doesn't mean no one steps up when afforded the opportunity.

Typically, how a QB prospect performs toward the end of the three practice sessions serves as a better indicator of his ability than when he first arrives in Mobile, Ala. If that's the case with the current crop, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier helped rehab his reputation after a disappointing final season on campus.

Names such as Philip Rivers, Dak Prescott, Daniel Jones and Justin Herbert walked away from their respective year's all-star festivities as prospects who helped themselves despite significant questions entering the week.

In Nussmeier's case, he needed to show he belonged again. He did so and walked away as the best quarterback throughout the practices.

Others also helped themselves, while some didn't end the practice week on a positive note. B/R scouts Daniel Harms and Matt Holder remain in Mobile providing insights into how individuals performed. Also, fellow scout Brandon Thorn checked in to provide an overview of how the offensive linemen fared.

Garrett Nussmeier Regains Positive Momentum After Down Season

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Currently, the 2026 quarterback class is a one-horse race with Indiana's Fernando Mendoza as the overwhelming favorite to be this year's No. 1 overall draft pick. Beyond Mendoza, every other incoming signal-caller is jockeying to be the next selected.

LSU's Garrett Nussmeier once had an excellent chance of being the next name called. At the start of the '25 campaign, Nussmeier was viewed as a potential first-round target after throwing for 4,052 yards and an SEC-leading 29 touchdowns as a junior.

His standing fell off dramatically because of a down senior season, which resulted in him being benched. His situation was compounded by an abdominal injury that didn't allow him to play in LSU's final three regular-season contests.

"Even after admitting he still isn't 100 percent healthy, Nussmeier decided to participate in the Senior Bowl anyway," Harms said. "While he didn't light up the daily practices, he looked unfazed by the environment. He came back from missed throws with accurate tosses, communicated to his receivers when they should break off their routes instead of continuing them and made multiple completions Thursday that stood out.

"Whether making a move in the pocket to find his man along the sideline or getting out of pressure and throwing on the run, Nussmeier showed he has what it takes to run an offense."

While the quarterback's physical tools aren't top notch, the soon-to-be 24-year-old prospect understands the game and shows a style of play to efficiently operate within a system.

"Nussmeier displayed the mental processing and accuracy that translate well," B/R scout Dame Parsons said. "He delivered well-placed passes during red-zone drills on Day 3 resulting in a score. During the two-minute drill, Nussmeier's leadership, quick decision-making and natural passing ability shined as he put the team in position to score before the clock struck zero.

"This week's effort proved to evaluators that his statistical fall-off was more connected to LSU's downturn than his ability to play quarterback."

Winners

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Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks

DT Caleb Banks, Florida

Banks fell on the opposite side of the ledger to start the week, but he's bounced back strong over the last two days, especially as a pass-rusher. He had a handful of quick wins during one-on-ones, which translated to the full team period where he created more pressure and at least one sack. He also had a nice tackle near the line of scrimmage against the run.

Wednesday's and Thursday's sessions were exactly what the Florida product needed to recoup some draft stock after entering the 2025 campaign as a projected first-round pick.

TE Josh Cuevas, Alabama

Cuevas was one of the American squad's most trusted targets throughout the week. The Cal-Poly/Washington transfer thrived as a route-running technician, making catch after catch. The tight end became a go-to option for whichever quarterback took the snap and broke off a number of defensive backs in one-on-ones. He also made multiple catches when working in traffic. The 22-year-old might not be the best after the catch, but he was easily one of the best targets during his week in Mobile. 

CB Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina

Dixon experienced a couple of rough days after being on the wrong end of numerous receivers making plays, particularly in the one-on-one sessions. Everything changed during Thursday's session.

The defensive back bounced back during the red-zone drills by shutting down multiple receivers, throwing off their timing and and staying in their hip pockets. He capped off his day with an interception off Cole Payton during team drills, where he smothered SMU's Jordan Hudson on a comeback route. He finished the practice week strongly, which is always a positive.

LB Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma

Over the last two days, Heinecke really stood out as a run defender. He made several tackles for short gains, showcasing impressive instincts and acceleration to meet the runner in the hole. The former Sooner wasn't on B/R's radar heading into the Senior Bowl, but he's done enough to force a return to the tape.

DT Deven Eastern, Minnesota

On a similar note, Eastern doesn't have much draft hype right now, but he built some momentum with his play during the week's last two practices. He got penetration in the running game and produced several wins as a pass-rusher—both in one-on-ones and the team periods. The upside is obvious from the 6'6", 300-pound defensive tackle.

Losers

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Auburn defensive lineman Keyron Crawford

S Zakee Wheatley, Penn State

Wheatley remained one of B/R's highest-rated safeties even though he came into the Senior Bowl with a bit of stink after Penn State's disappointing 2025 performance. However, he looked uncomfortable in this environment. The experienced defensive back held when he didn't have to, missed assignments and struggled to find himself around the ball, particularly in the run game, where he had been so good for Penn State. The one-on-one drills will be hard to forget since he found himself on the losing end more often than not.

A few practices doesn't change what Wheatley put on tape, but the pre-draft process just became more important.

RB Nicholas Singleton, Penn State

Singleton saw his draft stock fall in 2025, as his teammate Kaytron Allen experienced his best collegiate season. The former still showed his versatility as a pass-catcher in Mobile, but he disappointed in the run game and never really got his feet under him this week. Singleton then appeared to leave practice Thursday with an injury.

CB Julian Neal, Arkansas

Neal looks and moves like a prototypical NFL corner. Even so, he didn't have the week he had hoped. His poor footwork often left him out of position, behind on plays and guessing what he should do next. Some flashes appeared during practices, but consistency became a real issue from one play to the next.

LB Jack Kelly, BYU

Kelly experienced back-to-back rough outings. He had a tough time covering running backs in the one-on-ones, especially on deep routes, and had a bad missed tackle during the full team period, where he didn't bring his feet. Overall, the BYU product has stood out far more negatively than positively.

Edge Keyron Crawford, Auburn

To be fair, Crawford did have a couple of good reps in 11-on-11, with a solid bull rush then a swim move to get a tackle for loss. However, he struggled to win consistently and looked overmatched throughout the week. 

The 6'4", 250-pound edge defender has obvious physical tools to like. However, his draft stock took a hit after blending in more than standing out during his time in Mobile.

OT Kage Casey, Boise State

Texas Tech pass-rusher Romello Height, who could have been added as a 'winner' from Thursday's practices, gave Casey a lot of trouble in pass protection. The Boise State product doesn't seem to have the length and athleticism to protect the edge.

Also, Casey had an ugly rep as a run-blocker during the team period. He got overaggressive against defensive tackle Lee Hunter, allowing Hunter to beat the backside cut-off block.

Overall Offensive Line Assessments

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Kansas State offensive lineman Samuel Hecht

After studying every rep from the first two days of practice and all one-on-ones from Day 3, the following offensive linemen stood out most—whether for consistency, flashes or repeated issues.

Tier 1 — Most Consistent Performers

C James Brockermeyer, Miami
C Sam Hecht, Kansas State

This duo separated itself by avoiding bad reps more than stacking dominant ones. Brockermeyer consistently controlled the interior—landing inside early, staying attached and recovering when initially displaced. Hecht stood out during National practices as the only lineman who consistently stayed functional across all three days.

Both players had moments where they gave ground or were tested, particularly as the week progressed. Neither experienced extended breakdowns or stretches where losses began to compound.

Tier 2 — Inconsistent with Positive Flashes

OG Jeremiah Wright, Auburn
OT Markel Bell, Miami
C Jake Slaughter, Florida
OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
OT JC Davis, Illinois
OT Carver Willis, Washington
OT Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M

Swing reps defined this tier of blockers. Each player here showed stretches of clean execution—good strikes, solid anchors or effective recovery—but could not maintain that level consistently across days or settings.

Bell, Crownover and Iheanachor all flashed legitimate pass-pro ability, but issues with stalled feet, exposed chests or well-timed counters showed up repeatedly. Davis looked the part and generally held his own outside of one clear loss in one-on-ones, but as with his film, you are continually left wanting more as a finisher. Slaughter and Wright both provided quality stretches, but lapses in foot speed or recovery ability prevented them from separating over the course of the week. Willis would've made the top tier if not for a notable step back on Day 3 at center with several clean losses against power and counters.

Tier 3 — Most Inconsistent / Exposed

OT Jude Bowry, Boston College
OG Logan Taylor, Boston College

A pair of former Eagles individually struggled to stabilize at any point during the week. Their issues were repetitive, not situational.

Bowry consistently lost edges due to overextension and slow redirection. His athletic ability to recover kept him in the fight most of the time but the frequency of his recoveries became an issue all week. Taylor's wide base and heavy feet were repeatedly exposed by basic counters, especially in one-on-one settings. Taylor flashed legitimate play-strength in his anchor when able to latch early—particularly during Day 1—but his persistently wide base led to heavy feet, late redirects and poor recovery skills that resulted in several clean, glaring losses.

No meaningful corrective arc emerged from either prospect during all three days of practice.