New Orleans Saints select Tyler Shough in 2nd round of 2025 NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the No. 40 overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shough comes to the NFL after seven seasons in college and will look to step in and show what he can do.

This past season was the only one that Shough played with the Cardinals after also playing at Oregon and Texas Tech in his college career. He had the best season of his career by far.

Part of that was due to the fact that the 2024 season marked the first time in his career that Shough had played in more than seven games, as he appeared in 12. He finished with 3,195 yards passing and a 62.7% completion percentage along with 23 touchdowns to six interceptions.

Shough played high school football at Chandler (AZ), where he was a four-star prospect. He ranked as the No. 122 overall player and No. 12 quarterback in the 2018 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Shough committed to Oregon out of high school and spent the first two years there primarily as a backup. But he got the chance to start down the stretch of his final season in Eugene, appearing in seven games as the Ducks won the Pac-12 Championship and made the Fiesta Bowl.

He transferred to Texas Tech the following year and won the starting job in the preseason. Unfortunately, he played in only four games before breaking his collar bone and missing the rest of the year. Injuries would become a common obstacle for him during his career in Lubbock as he also missed time in 2022 and 2023.

However, Shough showed what he can do in a full season at Louisville. That’s earned him a chance at a pro career and we’ll see how far he can take it.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Tyler Shough

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided some further analysis of Shough’s game in his recent scout of the quarterback’s draft profile. He touched on his injury issues but also noted the arm talent and accuracy that has caught the eyes of scouts.

“Pocket passer with a seven-year college career prompted by three consecutive years of injuries while at Texas Tech,” Zierlein wrote. “Shough will turn 26 in September, was in the same recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence and backed up Justin Herbert at Oregon. He’s a talented passer with a live arm who is capable of making pro throws both intermediate and deep but battles inconsistency.

“He plays with good field vision, using his eyes to hold defenders and set up his throwing windows. Shough is confident and accurate when protected, but will flinch when pressure mounts, leading to spotty decision-making and big sacks. His size and passing talent will be enticing, but durability and mobility concerns are impediments he will need to overcome.”