It's not a common thing to see a quarterback taken in the second round of the National Football League draft. Only 25, including New Orleans Saints rookie Tyler Shough, have been taken since the turn of the century.
That may not seem like much, but it's rare compared to the 77 taken in the first round since 2000. Not many of them have seen success either, with only some managing to carve out a name for themselves. Notable names of second-round quarterbacks taken include, but aren't limited to, Drew Brees, Drew Stanton, Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Will Levis, Geno Smith, and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Here's hoping that Tyler Shough isn't one of those names that is having to write back. Kellen Moore and company will certainly be hoping he turns out to be a little bit like Saints legend Drew Brees or Eagles QB Jalen Hurts.
For Saints QB Tyler Shough, there isn't much room for error
The career of a second-round quarterback is not something that's guaranteed. Some have left the league within just a few years of being drafted, like former Dallas Cowboys draft pick Quincy Carter, while some ended up being career backups, like Marques Tuiasosopo, former Oakland Raiders draft pick. Then of course there's the previously mentioned Drew Brees and Jalen Hurts, who both have a Super Bowl victory and Super Bowl MVP.
That leaves Shough without much margin for error, because with the track record of his fellow second-round quarterbacks, he'll either be a career journeyman backup, a franchise's greatest quarterback, or out of the league after just one contract.
So far, Shough hasn't played enough football to tell which path he might take. Heading into week nine, where he'll get his first start, he's only seen 42 snaps of real NFL football. His first start is also set to be a real challenge, as he'll be going up against the Los Angeles Rams, who have one of the top defenses this year.
Only time will tell how the career of the Saints' rookie quarterback will go, but there is also only one person who can determine how it will happen: Tyler Shough himself. He's not going at it alone, though. He has the entire Saints organization, even the guy whose job he just took, behind him. Hopefully, that's enough to help him succeed.