This past weekend, the 2026 Senior Bowl was played, and the American Team beat the National Team (17-9). The American team also won last year (22-19).
American quarterback Garrett Nussmeier completed 5-of-8 passes for 57 yards and an interception, but he also had a rushing touchdown. The other score for them came on a Jaydn Ott touchdown.
On the National side, Diego Pavia played well, completing 10-of-13 passes (77%) for 78 yards. Across both teams, Donaven McCulley led all receivers with 50 yards on four catches.
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2026 Senior Bowl Winners & Losers
When it comes to the Senior Bowl, remember that there are strict playing rules, such as only three offensive personnel packages and only four rushers.
Now that we’ve recapped the game and gone over some of the unique rules, let’s look at some winners and losers from this event through the lens of dynasty fantasy football.
Winner: Garrett Nussmeier (QB – LSU)
In a weaker quarterback class, Garrett Nussmeier showed he still has ability. While he threw an interception, it was off the hands of tight end John Michael Gyllenborg. That said, he had a nice week of practice and led his team to touchdowns on his first two drives.
In 2025, Nussmeier dealt with injuries and is working hard to get back to full strength/health.
This past season, Nussmeiuer completed 194-of-288 passes across nine games for 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions — a far cry from his 4,052-yard, 29-touchdown season in 2024.
While Nussmeier won’t do much in the NFL as a runner, where I think he succeeds is his willingness to throw the ball down the field. He won’t be afraid and play “dink-and-dunk” football.
Still, I wonder if this Senior Bowl performance was good enough to warrant a Day 2 selection as opposed to Day 3.
Check out the full 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Garrett Nussmeier
Loser: Taylen Green (QB – Arkansas)
Taylen Green has the measureables and rushing ability any NFL coach would want in a quarterback, but he struggles under pressure. Some of his decisions will lead to turnovers at the NFL level.
For example, in the Senior Bowl, Green dropped back, was pressured, rolled to his right and then threw the ball across his body toward the left hash mark. While it showed great arm strength, it nearly resulted in an interception.
I’m not sure we’ll see much of him at the NFL level unless he can improve massively as a passer.
Check out the full 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Taylen Green
Winner: Jaydn Ott (RB – Oklahoma)
Jaydn Ott ran for 1,315 yards on 246 carries in 2023, then followed that up with 116 carries for 385 yards across 10 games in 2024. Last season, he had just 21 carries. Ott played with Cal in 2023 and 2024 before transferring to Oklahoma and not really doing anything.
That said, Ott played well at the Senior Bowl, rushing eight times for 42 yards and a score, while also catching a pass for nine yards. With this type of performance, I wonder what happened at Oklahoma?
Either way, Ott’s draft stock should’ve improved thanks to his Senior Bowl performance. If he can improve his pass protection, he could very well be a late Day 3 pick with some value somewhat quickly in the NFL, depending on which team he lands with.
In addition to Ott, Mike Washington Jr. Kaelon Black and Rahsul Faison also had strong performances.
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