New head coach Kellen Moore has his quarterback.
The New Orleans Saints drafted Louisville signal-caller Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night.
The Saints had a glaring need under center with Derek Carr's uncertain shoulder injury threatening his season. Shough joins 2024 fourth-round pick Spencer Rattler, 2023 third-rounder Jake Haener, and veteran Ben DiNucci in the QB room.
Shough was the third overall quarterback taken in the draft and the first on Day 2. The Cleveland Browns, who selected Dillon Gabriel, passed on Shough twice in the second round at No. 34 and No. 36. By that point, getting selected by the Saints was a relief as much as anything.
"It was definitely nerve-wracking, just because I had really good meetings and relationships with the Browns, had extensive workouts and stuff like that, same thing with them," Shough said. "That was definitely a potential [spot]. Once that kinda went off the board, all eyes were looking toward the Saints, and it was just kind of a big relief off the chest when I finally got the call."
New Orleans has cycled through quarterback since Drew Brees retired following the 2020 season. Eight players have started games for the Saints since 2021. Now Shough has a shot to walk in as the Day 1 starter.
There are questions about his age and injury history, but Shough has the traits to be a productive passer in Moore's system.
"Great rhythm, anticipation, certainly you feel like he can hit all marks of the field from a throwing perspective," Moore said of his new QB. "I think he's got a great feel for this game. You love the system that he's been exposed to at three different places. He's played some different styles, so I think he's certainly comfortable and flexible within that. I think he's got a mind and an arm, and with that combination he plays at a really high level."
Turning 26 years old in September, Shough is among the older QB prospects in this class, having graduated from high school in 2018. His winding path led him from Oregon (where he was once Justin Herbert's backup) to Texas Tech and finally Louisville, with injuries derailing his career more than once.
"It's certainly a discussion point," Moore said when asked if Shough's age played a factor in drafting him. "I think we all should have that discussion point just to confirm it, but we saw it as a positive. He's been through a lot of football. He's been exposed to a lot of different settings going from Oregon to Texas Tech to Louisville. And the quarterback position, these guys aren't reaching their peak for a while. So, he's going to continue to rise and grow."
The 6-foot-5, 219-pound Shough displayed NFL talent at his first two stops, spending three years at Oregon, where he started seven games in the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, before moving on to Texas Tech, where he started 13 games over three years. Two separate collarbone injuries, in 2021 and 2022, followed by a broken leg in 2023, prevented him from ever starting more than five games in a single season there.
But at Louisville in 2024, Shough reminded NFL scouts of the talent he teased at his first two spots, throwing for 23 touchdown passes (along with one rushing score) and only six interceptions. At the Senior Bowl, Shough stood out as one of the better quarterbacks at the showcase and displayed his NFL-caliber traits.
Shough has a live arm and a prototypical NFL build for a quarterback, also testing very well at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.63-second 40-yard dash. He's able to manipulate his arm angle and make throws to all parts of the field, leading a Cardinals offense that averaged 36.6 points per game last season. On the flip side, Shough's age and injury history were concerns for some NFL teams, and he's guilty of trying to fit balls into tight windows that can lead to turnovers.
Yet there's a real fascination surrounding his game. Shough might be older than the 49ers' Brock Purdy, who's entering his fourth NFL season, and might have fewer college starts than multiple QB prospects in this class, but he has enough high-end talent to make the Saints confident enough to potentially hand him a starting gig as a rookie.
The Saints bypassed QB in Round 1, taking offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., No. 9 overall. They came back and grabbed their guy in Round 2.
