Luke Altmyer QB Illinois |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #9 PLAY STYLE: Mobile Pocket Passer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 04/01/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.72 seconds (73%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.9 DOB: 10/22/2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #9 | |
| PLAY STYLE: Mobile Pocket Passer | |
| Last Updated: 04/01/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.72 seconds (73%*) | |
| Age: 23.9 DOB: 10/22/2002 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 78.6 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Release Speed: |
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75% |
| Short Passing: |
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72% |
| Medium Passing: |
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78% |
| Long Passing: |
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83% |
| Rush/Scramble: |
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69% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#277
Position rank:
#13 (QB)
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| College Games: 42 College Snaps: 2399 | ||
ESPN RATING: 84/100
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 90/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Michael Pratt - Tulane |
|
89% |
| Max Duggan - TCU |
|
79% |
| Clayton Tune - Houston |
|
76% |
Draft Profile: Bio
A consensus four-star recruit and Elite 11 finalist out of Starkville, Mississippi, Altmyer signed with Ole Miss and spent two seasons backing up Matt Corral and Jaxson Dart. Across nine appearances for the Rebels, he completed just 28 of 55 passes for 317 yards before seeking a fresh start in Champaign ahead of the 2023 spring semester.The move to Illinois gave him the keys immediately. As a first-year starter in 2023, Altmyer threw for 1,883 yards and 13 touchdowns in nine games before a head injury ended his season early. The 2024 campaign brought a real breakout: 2,717 passing yards, 22 touchdowns against six interceptions, and a 10-3 record that tied the program's single-season wins mark. He led the nation that year with three game-winning touchdown throws inside the final two minutes or overtime, including a 40-yard strike to Pat Bryant with four seconds left at Rutgers.
Altmyer carried that momentum into his 2025 senior season, completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,007 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just five picks. He earned Music City Bowl MVP honors after leading Illinois past No. 23 Tennessee and finished his career holding the program record in completion percentage while ranking second in touchdown passes and fifth in passing yards.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Stares off the safety on play-action, then whips back to the post or dig with conviction
- Drops the deep ball in with touch on go routes and posts, lets his receivers run under it
- Sits in the pocket and trusts his second or third read rather than panicking early
- Drove Illinois 75 yards in under a minute at Rutgers, does not flinch in late-game moments
- Sells the run fake from under center and works bootleg concepts with natural footwork
- Slides and resets in the pocket with quick feet, finds clean throwing lanes without scrambling
- Rarely forces into contested coverage as a senior, takes the checkdown when nothing is there
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Narrow frame absorbs hits poorly, gets knocked off his spot by interior push too easily
- Three-quarter release lets defensive linemen get hands on the ball at the mesh point
- Double-clutches before throwing, adding a visible hitch that delays every release
- Blind to the edge rusher too often, stands flat-footed while pressure arrives from his left
- Loses the football when hit in the midsection or while tucking on scramble attempts
- Cannot zip the ball into tight man-coverage windows, throws float on in-breakers against press
Scouting Report: Summary
Altmyer wins with his eyes and his preparation, not his arm. The way he stares off a safety, holds him for a count, then comes back to the dig on the opposite hash shows a quarterback who understands how to set up throws. He is patient through his progressions, comfortable working bootleg concepts off play-action, and willing to take the underneath option rather than force something downfield. That final possession at Rutgers, marching 75 yards with no timeouts, tells you about the competitor.The arm is what caps this projection. When the pocket is clean and throws are on schedule, he drops the ball into intermediate zone windows with enough touch to move the chains. But when defenses bring tight man coverage, the ball floats on in-breakers and he cannot drive it through small windows the way NFL starters need to. The double-clutch compounds the problem, and his three-quarter slot gives linemen a chance to bat passes at the line. Too many sacks came because he stood flat with no feel for what was coming off the edge.
The realistic outcome is a backup in a timing-based system where the reads are defined and the ball comes out to a spot. West Coast concepts, quick-game packages, and structured play-action are where he functions best because the scheme narrows his decisions. He will not create outside the structure or extend broken plays into big gains, but he can manage a game plan without sinking a team for a stretch if the starter goes down.
Written By:
K.C. Martinez (Big Ten)
Luke Altmyer percentiles vs other Quarterbacks (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Luke Altmyer (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
258.8
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
23.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.