Mark Schlereth, a former guard and three-time Super Bowl Champion, definitely knows a thing or two about what an elite quarterback is like. His history protecting quarterbacks like John Elway and Doug Williams makes his recent comments about New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough that much more exciting.
Earlier this week Schlereth went on his podcast and stated that he thinks the Saints rookie is the best quarterback of the 2025 draft class. "Great poise in the pocket, but unbelievable conviction," he said to Mike Evans of 104.3 the FAN. "When he sees something, man, he lets it freaking eat."
Schlereth thinks that Shough's season could've been even better. "Second down and one (against the Dolphins), I think it was, he throws a dime piece to Chris Olave, and he dropped it." He continued. "Tough coverage, but I mean, it went through his hands... that wins that game for him, and he dropped it."
How does Saints QB Tyler Shough actually compare to the other rookies?
Due to Schlereth's comments, let's take a look at how close Shough is to the other rookie quarterbacks of his draft class. As it turns out, statistically, he has not had the best season of the rookie QBs. That honor goes to Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants, who has 1,556 passing yards to Shough's 1,068 and 11 passing touchdowns to his five.
There are some categories that Shough actually leads Dart in, though one of them he might not care too much for. Currently, he leads the Giants' star QB in interceptions (four to three) and completion percentage (65.2% to 63.6%).
Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans also has a significant lead over Shough, with more passing touchdowns and yards so far this season. However, he also has thrown more balls the defenders' way and leads all rookie quarterbacks in interceptions with six.
Looking at the stat sheet right now isn't really fair to Shough. He's only started four games so far this season compared to Dart's seven and Ward's 12. Only when the 2025 season is said and done would it really be fair for the Saints rookie to be compared to others of his draft class.