Tyler Shough won't be able to wear any of his college numbers. He did receive a blessing from a New Orleans Saints legend to use his number in his rookie season. No, not that legend.
At his latest collegiate stop, Louisville, Shough wore No. 9. Though Drew Brees' number hasn't officially been retired by the organization, it's unofficially retired with an official retirement being inevitable.
Shough isn't as bold as Abdul Carter to ask for the jersey numbers of the greatest players in his franchise history, or as lucky as Cam Ward to be gifted the number. Chris Olave wears No. 12, which Shough wore at Oregon and Texas Tech.
All of his past options are spoken. When looking at the numbers between 1-20, the only available numbers are 6,15, and 18. Shough told Sports360AZ's Brad Cesmat he's leaning towards wearing No. 6 in his rookie season.
It's between 6 and 18. If those are his leading choices, Thomas Morstead advocates for the rookie to take the former. "Tyler, take #6!," Morstead posted on social media. The former Saints punter followed that with words of encouragement. "I hope it is as good to you as it was to me."
Morstead wore No. 6 from the moment he was drafted until he left the team after the 2020 season. Morstead was a consistent field-flipper for the Saints through his 12-year run with the team. In 2012, the punter made second-team All Pro. The number was definitely good to Morstead, and Shough achieving that honor would make the draft pick a success.
There's no guarantee Shough will stick with No. 6 if that is what he initially selects. There are other numbers in the allotted range that could either become available or Shough could see if players want to move away from.
The Saints bringing in another veteran quarterback in a strictly mentorship role shouldn't out of the question. That move would likely push Jake Haener out of the quarterback room, in turn opening up No. 3 as an option.
Bub Means, Cedrick Wilson or Dante Pettis could all reasonably give up their number if Shough pushed for it. We've seen rookies cut the check for a jersey number before. Shough's indifferent attitude towards the topic would suggest he wouldn't do that, though.
If Shough does take No. 6, it'll be interesting to see if he retains it after roster cuts when more numbers are at his disposal.