CBS

It happens every year. A quarterback rises from some degree of obscurity into the first round, and often times said prospect vaults all the into the top-five selections or can even go No. 1 overall, like Kyler Murray in 2019 or Joe Burrow the year after. Heck, even Baker Mayfield in 2018 was mostly viewed as a Day 2 or early Day 3 pick during his final season at Oklahoma, then went No. 1 overall a few months later. While we're nearing the midway point of the 2024 college football season, I currently believe the 2025 iteration of that quarterback to be Garrett Nussmeier from LSU. This is a former highly touted four-star recruit who sat for essentially three seasons behind Max Johnson then Jayden Daniels -- while throwing for 294 yards on 15 completions in the SEC title game against eventual national-title winning Georgia in a relief appearance in 2022 -- and is now operating the Tigers offense like a passer who's gained a wealth of knowledge along the way in college. While his 64.3% completion rate is relatively low based on new-age standards for the position at the collegiate level, he's not running a gimmicky, screen-heavy attack. He's ripping the football downfield often, from a variety of arm angles to a litany of pass-catching options. His 10.2 average depth of target (aDOT) currently ranks second among legitimate 2025 quarterback prospects, trailing only Alabama's Jalen Milroe at 10.5 yards.