The New Orleans Saints drafted a quarterback in the second round of the NFL draft for the first time in team history. The name: Louisville's Tyler Shough.
The Cardinals QB was a fascinating name to watch, entering the NFL at 25 years old after 7 years in college split between three teams.
The newest Saints QB will join a room that includes a major health question mark in Derek Carr, as well as another pair of young throwers in Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, as well as veteran Ben DiNucci. The selection marks the third consecutive season the Saints have picked a QB, and the highest QB selected since Archie Manning in 1971.
The Arizona native spent seasons at Oregon and Texas Tech before landing at Louisville, suffering multiple season-ending injuries including a broken collarbone and broken fibula. He also had a season shortened due to the coronavirus pandemic. He stayed healthy and started 12 games for Louisville in 2024, completing 62.7% of his passes for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions.
Shough said there were some nerves through the first several picks of the second round, knowing that he had good workouts and conversations with the Browns, a team that was in need of a quarterback and had picks at Nos. 33 and 36. They looked elsewhere and all eyes were on the Saints, a team that he appreciated for the number of former NFL quarterbacks in key positions on the coaching staff, including head coach Kellen Moore and OC Doug Nussmeier.
“It was surreal, just for this moment with everybody here and you didn’t think maybe it was possible when you’re getting carted off the field but you kind of have that self-belief and the support around you," Shoudh said. "I was just happy to be in that moment and go to an organization and team that kind of believes in you and I’m ready to go compete and earn it.”
Shough said he views his age and injury history as a positive, already having gone through the adversity and possessing the maturity NFL quarterbacks need to possess. He said there are no lingering limitations from the injuries.
"A lot of this stuff is out of your control," Shough said. "You can’t control getting hip dropped, breaking your collarbone is probably one of the most common injuries and for me it just, it helped me out mentally more than anything and finding a way to add value to my teammates and the coaches.”
Shough will join Texans OT Kelvin Banks as the second member of the of the 2025 draft class and the first step into the Kellen Moore head coaching era.
The Saints entered the day with 8 selections remaining, including a pair of third-rounders (71 and 83), the most picks they've had in the top three rounds since 2017.
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The Saints, as always, generated significant buzz in terms of potential trade ups, but ultimately stood at their original pick in each of the first two rounds.
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