When the New Orleans Saints selected Tyler Shough with the 40th-overall pick, there was a collective gasp by the football world. Despite warnings from insiders that he could go off the board then, people were surprised New Orleans actually made him the third quarterback selected in the 2025 Draft. Because of the question marks surrounding him, not many fans or analysts considered him a top-three QB in the class.
However, that seems to be an opinion that only exists outside of NFL circles. While fans might have been laughing at New Orleans for picking Shough so early, other NFL teams were applauding the Saints, because they were considering doing the same thing. NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler made that clear in a recent ESPN piece highlighting key intel from the draft.
Fowler revealed that an AFC exec told him Shough was a hot name on day two, and if New Orleans didn’t pick him, he still would’ve been off the board shortly after.
"He was a hot name Day 2. Sounds like he would have gone pretty quickly if not for New Orleans. He's got some of what [new head coach] Kellen Moore [likes], intelligence at the position, good makeup. Will need to improve his accuracy at the next level."AFC exec on Tyler Shough (ESPN)
Tyler Shough was being targeted by multiple teams in the second round
That means by league standards, this pick wasn’t a reach at all, as multiple teams felt the quarterback should be selected in that range. While Shough scares some fans with his age and injury history, his size and throwing ability clearly won multiple teams over. The Saints just won the race to select him.
Shough is 6-foot-5 and 219 pounds with a strong arm. For whatever concerns he has, both in his profile and on the field, a big quarterback with a strong arm will always appeal to the NFL. Several teams felt they could make him a franchise quarterback, and the Saints will be the one to actually try.