Who is Tyler Shough? Saints rookie older than 12 projected starting QBs

Tyler Shough being the first (and only) quarterback to come off the board on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft proved to be the second round’s biggest surprise. 

After being drafted at No. 40 overall by the New Orleans Saints, Shough might be in line to start immediately with Derek Carr’s lingering shoulder injury leaving his status for 2025 uncertain.  

Following a seven-year college career, Shough (pronounced “Shuck”) should be more than ready. At 25 years and 209 days old, he is the fourth-oldest QB to be selected before the sixth round in modern NFL Draft history. He’s the oldest QB to be drafted since Brandon Weeden, who was 28 when the Browns took him in the first round of the 2012 draft. 

The history of QBs drafted after turning 25 isn’t great, but perhaps Shough can buck that trend. 

Interestingly, he’s already older than at least 12 quarterbacks projected to start in 2025. Here’s a look at that list, along with each QB’s current age and when and where they were drafted.

• Cam Ward, 22 years old, No. 1 overall in 2025, Tennessee Titans
• Caleb Williams, 23, No. 1 overall in 2024, Chicago Bears
• Jayden Daniels, 24, No. 2 overall in 2024, Washington Commanders
• Drake Maye, 22, No. 3 overall in 2024, New England Patriots’
• Michael Penix Jr., 24, No. 8 overall in 2024, Atlanta Falcons
• JJ McCarthy, 22, No. 10 overall in 2024, Minnesota Vikings
• Bo Nix, 25, No. 12 overall in 2024, Denver Broncos
• Bryce Young, 23, No. 1 overall in 2023, Carolina Panthers
• CJ Stroud, 23, No. 2 overall in 2023, Houston Texans
• Anthony Richardson, 22, No. 4 overall in 2023, Indianapolis Colts
• Brock Purdy, 25, No. 262 overall in 2022, San Francisco 49ers
• Trevor Lawrence, 25, No. 1 overall in 2021, Jacksonville Jaguars

So, how did Shough get here? 

Well, he was once a four-star recruit out of Arizona who began his college career at Oregon. After redshirting his first season and backing up Justin Herbert in his second, Shough was the Ducks’ primary starter in 2020. By the end of the year, he was losing playing time and elected to transfer to Texas Tech. He would spend three years in Lubbock, but each of them was limited by injuries. 

Shough then transferred to Louisville before the 2024 season and enjoyed the healthiest and most productive campaign of his career.

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