Former Louisville QB Tyler Shough hotly debated as potential early round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but does he deserve it?
The 2025 NFL Draft quarterback debate continues with less than a week to go until draft day. Cam Ward is going first overall, but after that it seems everyone has a different second favorite option. Tyler Shough continues to rise as a potential first round pick who could join passers like Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and […]
The 2025 NFL Draft quarterback debate continues with less than a week to go until draft day. Cam Ward is going first overall, but after that it seems everyone has a different second favorite option. Tyler Shough continues to rise as a potential first round pick who could join passers like Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss. But does he really deserve that kind of hype?
Our A to Z Sports team of NFL Draft analysts made the case for and against Tyler Shough (mostly against) as a potential early round pick. Each analyst lays out their case to help you decide just how early Tyler Shough should go in the 2025 NFL Draft. Enjoy!
The case for Tyler Shough as an early round QB
Outside perception has created under-appreciation for the development of Shough. Once considered a super talented player at Oregon, Shough dealt with countless injuries during his time with the Ducks and Texas Tech. He was finally able to stay healthy in 2024, and showcased a lot of natural talent. From a pure physical tools perspective, Shough is one of the more talented quarterbacks in the class. He has a big frame, plus arm strength, and is an underrated athlete as well. There is a lot to like physically.
Age has been a massive talking point, but it isn’t that much of a concern for me. Quarterbacks have one of the largest life spans of career compared to any other position. Due to the durability history, Shough is still relatively inexperienced from a game rep situation. That being said, I’m not thinking about drafting him until somewhere late Day Two. That’s because of the durability issues. Having one full season in seven years is by far the most troubling issue surrounding Shough, and can’t be ignored. – Ryan Roberts
The case against Tyler Shough as an early round QB
It was good to see Tyler Shough finally put together a full healthy season in 2024. He spent six years in a row struggling to stay healthy and successfully keep starting jobs, both at Oregon from 2018-20 and at Texas Tech from 2021-23.
Jeff Brohm (Louisville’s head coach) has become somewhat of a quarterback whisperer over the years who always seems to get the most out of his passers, and Shough was no exception. He threw for 23 touchdowns and more than 3000 yards last fall, albeit not posting the most impressive play to play efficiency when compared with the best FBS quarterbacks.
The problem with Shough is that he just doesn’t project to be a good NFL quarterback long-term. Yes, he strung together a few legit professional tight window throws this year. However, he also proved to be completely immobile (despite his apparent athleticism), adding zero value with his legs, and forcing some bad decisions in big moments. He’ll be a 26-year-old rookie. He has struggled to stay healthy his entire career. There’s just zero reason for him to have any first round buzz and yet several experts are still trying to make that happen. He’s QB5 in this class at best, and probably should be considered closer to QB7 or 8. Not a “potential first round pick” kind of talent at all. – Travis May
Shough is an interesting case. You can tell he’s very talented. His throws have a lot of zip on them, he can move, and throw on the run as well. You can see a lot of potential with his game, but there are some real concerns that complicate the evaluation.
Shough spent seven years in college and wasn’t fully healthy for the majority of them. In fact, he only played in every game once, and that was last season. Do you want to hitch your wagon to a 25-year-old quarterback who has often been injured? The talent is good enough to invest in on day two, but I’d only do it if he were 3-4 years younger. All things considered, I wouldn’t take Shough until day three. – Tyler Forness
The Tyler Shough hype is puzzling, yet predictable. I said the other day he was the Daniel Jones of potential Derek Carr's, and that feels right for predicting him into the pros. He has a good arm, is a good overall runner, and keeps his eyes downfield, for the most part, but he has never met a pocket he is willing to step up in and make a throw out of, and that terrifies me.
Additionally, he has some downright embarrassing lowlights (see: the viral clip against Stanford below). On top of all that, he has had three season-ending injuries and is a week older than Trevor Lawrence. I don’t see the upside worth a selection in the first three rounds. You’d think for a player who has played seven years he would be more refined than he is, which makes me worry about his developmental upside in the pros. – AJ Schulte
Going back a year or two on my scouting report of Tyler Shough, I was rather bullish about his physical traits and flashes of real upside. He moves well for his large frame when he starts downhill, and he generates great zip on the ball. When his body is right and he's not overthinking, his passes can land in the hands of moving targets with great precision.
His move to Louisville helped bring out the best of him when they cut his reads down and focused on executing over creating. Now, take that for what it is, add in three broken bones in his past, and consider he's an older prospect without a ton of actual experience. That's probably an early Day 3 value and a major risk, so he's a low-chance flier. – Ian Valentino
Shough is a player I simply can’t get behind. After a seven-year college career and multiple injuries, he had one good season, and suddenly he’s being talked about as a first round player? I would hope that a player in his mid-20s was capable of taking advantage of teenagers at a position as cerebral as quarterback. He may be a day three pick that you give a rookie deal to and see what happens as a backup, but we have no historical precedent for this kind of situation ever working out. So, unless we're certain Shough is going to be the first to hit, I would steer clear. – Rob Gregson
I'm not sure there's ever been a prospect that confused me more in a draft cycle than Louisville QB Tyler Shough. I was in attendance at the Senior Bowl and watched him have a week that the kids would call “mid”. There wasn't a single practice where I felt like he stood out from the rest of the QBs. To his credit I don’t think there was a single day he ever looked like the worst guy on the field either.
He's comfortable moving out of the pocket and can make plays with his legs so I understand why some people could get excited by elements of his game. Going through all of his college tape you will see every type of throw NFL teams are going to look for. But to be fair he does have a bit of an advantage over the rest of this class because he has six seasons of tape to look at. He began his college career in 2018 and spent time at three different schools in a seven year time span.
This past season at Louisville was the only year he played in more than seven games. He will turn 26 years old in September. I just don't see enough upside to warrant taking him before day three, at the earliest. Some people like to portray him as a player who could end up being the best QB of this class when it's all said and done. I'm not buying it. And honestly I'm getting “the call is coming from inside the house” vibes from his draft hype. – Destin Adams
We'll be back with more NFL Draft coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
If you want to check out why Tyler Shough is considered one of the better passers in the 2025 NFL Draft you can find some of his 2024 highlights in the video below.
