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Robert Griffin III criticizes Saints for drafting Tyler Shough over Shedeur Sanders, invokes Jax Ulbrich

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•04/27/25•

ChandlerVessels

robert griffin iii
Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In a perfect world to Robert Griffin III, Shedeur Sanders to the New Orleans Saints wouldn’t have been a prank. The Colorado quarterback infamously made headlines after falling victim to a prank call from Jax Ulbirch, son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

Jax Ulbrich impersonated Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and told Sanders that New Orleans planned to select him in the second round. Ultimately, the team ended up taking Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with that pick.

Griffin posted a clip to X, formerly Twitter, where he called out the Saints for passing on Sanders. He suggested that Ulbrich’s call “shouldn’t have been a prank” and explained why he doesn’t see Shough as a great fit for the franchise.

“Shedeur Sanders should have been drafted by the New Orleans Saints,” he said. “…Even Saints players like Cam Jordan are questioning why the Saints drafted Tyler Shough over Shedeur Sanders. I know Tyler Shough’s got a lively arm. I remember him at Oregon, I remember him at Tech and I remember him at Louisville. But Tyler Shough was teammates with Saints tight end Juwan Johnson six years ago at Oregon. Tyler Shough will be 26 years old in September.

“That means if you’ve got Derek Carr, who we know has a shoulder injury in case you didn’t know. He has a shoulder injury and he might not be able to play this season. But if I know the Derek Carr that I’ve known over the years, he’s gonna do everything in his power to play. So now you draft Tyler Shough knowing that he’s gonna be sitting 1-2, maybe even three years. By that time he’ll be 29 years old.”

Shough played seven season in college as he was granted waivers due to injuries that limited him throughout most of his career. In fact, this past year at Louisville was the first time he played a full season.

As a result, he posted career highs with 3,195 yards passing and a 62.7% completion percentage along with 23 touchdowns to six interceptions. Shough also flashed potential at Oregon and Texas Tech despite being limited by injury.

Griffin went on to explain that he preferred taking Sanders, who is three years younger than Shough with more room to develop. Given that New Orleans already has a veteran starter with Derek Carr, that could have been an ideal situation for the Colorado QB to walk into.

“Shedeur Sanders is the right pick for the Saints for a plethora of reasons,” Griffin said. “One, his tape shows that he was a first-round pick, so he would be a steal. Two, he’s 23 years old. If he sits for one to two to three years, he’s maximum gonna be 25, 26 years old and you give him a chance to learn, grow and develop.

“The head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Kellen Moore, played a style of football that required timing and rhythm. Anticipation. So if there is any quarterback that he knew he could work with that was similar to him and how he processed the game because he doesn’t have this Howitzer of an arm, it would be Shedeur Sanders. So I don’t understand that pick at all. It’s a bad pick.”