By Ross Jackson
One of the late risers in this year’s class in connection to the New Orleans Saints has been Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough. The opinions around the 25-year-old passer are hotly debated. But all it takes is one team to fall in love with him, and the outside chatter disappears.
That is one of the scenarios that’s expected for this year’s draft, as Shough could be one of the Saints’ biggest targets as early as Thursday in round one.
#Louisville QB Tyler Shough joined The Insiders to discuss his NFL Draft prospects, his private workouts (he worked out for the #Browns Thursday), and what makes him unique. pic.twitter.com/XWfivo4yCt
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2025
Why Shough is a Good Prospect
For all of the talk about Shough’s age and time spent in college, there are things that make him a solid prospect. He has a level of athleticism that he doesn’t often get credit for, takes some challenging arm angles to make throws work and has NFL size at 6-foot-5 and 219 pounds with an NFL arm.
But he has a lot to work on as well. He panics a bit too much under pressure and certainly has had more than his fair share of injuries throughout his collegiate career. He’s missed time with collarbone, shoulder and leg injuries that have ended his seasons in some cases. He’ll have to really come through clean on the medical checks in order to truly be considered in the first round.
If he does and shows that he can improve his poise under pressure, he has some of the best throws on tape in this year’s quarterback class, enough to entice a coaching staff that feels ready to develop a quarterback. With a head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of former NFL signal callers, the Saints may have exactly that.
For being a boomer Tyler Shough moves pretty damn well. Has some fun arm angles in his toolkit, too. pic.twitter.com/2BxSlLNP2b
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 6, 2025
Shough’s Offseason Testing Results
- 40-yard-dash: 4.63 seconds
- Vertical: 32 inches
- Broad jump: 9-foot-9
- RAS: 9.70
Shough’s Fit With the Saints
Shough’s fit will be entirely dependent upon where and how the Saints select him, if they did at all. If he’s a first-round trade up target, then his fit is that he’s expected to be the future of the franchise at quarterback. But if the Saints waited on a passer and he fell further than most believe he will, then he could be seen as competition to second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler.
More than likely, if Shough becomes a Saint, it’s for the purposes of taking over the starting role in New Orleans for the foreseeable future.
2024 Stats
- 62.7% completion percentage
- 3,195 passing yards
- 23 touchdown passes
- Six interceptions
- One rushing touchdown
Draft Projection
Shough could end up going in the first round but is widely seen as a day two prospect. However, day two quarterbacks are often treated at a premium. Shough should be seen as a potential trade up target for New Oreans in the latter half of the first round, should head coach Kellen Moore like him enough to go for him.
