Interesting Move at QB

By Jim Gazzolo

With the future of Derek Carr up in the air and Spencer Rattler still an unknown project, the Saints were wise to pick a quarterback in the second round of the draft.

But Tyler Shough?

Perhaps the Saints prefer age to beauty, or place an unbelievable amount of trust in experience. Shough has that going for him.

However, the 25-year-old Shough is a head-scratcher at best that early. 

Shough is the oldest quarterback to be drafted since the Cleveland Browns took Brandon Warren (28) in 2012. Warren was a first-round pick out of Oklahoma State who did nothing while in the NFL.

Shough is a product of the modern world of college sports. He has played seven seasons for three different schools since leaving the prep ranks. His biggest red flag is that four of those years ended prematurely due to injuries.

He had a nice season at Louisville last fall, proving he had a big arm, but his lack of mobility makes him a relatively easy target back in the pocket. It’s one of the reasons he has been injured, and NFL defenses are going to come a lot faster and stronger on Sundays.

Still, the Saints liked his experience. 

“I think it’s a benefit when a guy’s had a lot of experience, you know, and has a little maturity to him at that position,” said New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis. 

Considering the Saints passed on all other QBs than the top pick, Cam Ward, you have to believe they see something in Shough that few others do.

Shough began his college career at Oregon before moving to Texas Tech after one season as a backup to Justin Herbet, now the starter with the Los Angeles Chargers. Granted a seventh season, Shough moved on to Louisville last fall, where he had an excellent year. 

Shough finished 244 of 389 (62.7 percent) as a Cardinal, throwing for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

However, he is already older than 12 projected starters in the NFL next season, meaning development can’t be a long-term process for him or the Saints. 

Of course, there will always be questions about the quarterbacks passed on when they took an offensive lineman with their No. 1 selection. They could have taken Jackson Dart from Ole Miss, whom the Giants traded up for late in the first round.

The Giants feared New Orleans would take Dart and made sure they got him by trading back into the first round for a second pick. The Saints could have done such a move had they wanted.

Then there was also Shedeur Sanders sitting there waiting to be picked. While granted a possible headache in the making, his age and upside are much greater than Shough’s. Picking Sanders later might have gotten the Saints a more humble QB who has a giant chip on his shoulder. 

It seems like the Saints reached to take Shough, who could be a diamond in the rough, but doesn’t feel like a significant upgrade from what was already on the roster. And he sure could have been taken later if Loomis wanted to fill other holes, of which there are more than a few still in New Orleans.

Of course, another bad season could mean that the Saints are thinking about next year’s QB class, which looks much better already. That’s playing the long game.

At this point, that makes as much sense as anything else.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which can be seen on CBS-Lake Charles weekly.