Tyler Shough may have some fans on the opposing sideline when the New Orleans Saints visit the Detroit Lions this Sunday. He was a controversial pick at the time, when the Saints selected him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but most of that criticism came from the outside looking in. Teams that had spent months evaluating that year's quarterback prospects were just as high on Shough as the Saints were themselves -- if not higher.
"Tyler Shough is a phenomenal prospect. He was a phenomenal prospect coming out," Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard told reporters Thursday. "Like, I remember sitting in meetings, we do a lot of cross examinations and stuff. I remember (Lions quarterbacks coach) Mark Brunell raving about this kid,
I believe if I'm not mistaken he had him No. 1. And there was some pretty good quarterbacks (that) came out of that group. And he put him one. I'm like, 'Who's that kid?'
"And now I turn on the tape and I'm like, 'Oh, that's the kid y'all were talking about Bru? Damn, that's the kid. Oh, I see it.'
Shough was the third quarterback to go off the board, at No. 40 overall; his peers Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart both went in the first round to the Tennessee Titans (at No. 1) and New York Giants (No. 25), respectively. Two other quarterbacks were top-100 picks (Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel) but we didn't see another passer selected until Shedeur Sanders fell to the Cleveland Browns at No. 144.
Naturally, the Lions didn't draft Shough. They were coming off a 15-2 season and had a sure thing at quarterback in Jared Goff, with Hendon Hooker giving them some optimism as the backup. Their only chance to pick him came at No. 28 overall, and they went with a win-now move by choosing defensive tackle Tyleik Williams instead. That doesn't mean there weren't people in the building like Brunell who were willing to stand on a table for Shough. It just means their teammates like Sheppard have been extra cautious in preparing for him this week.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Lions DC says team was high on Saints QB Tyler Shough in 2025 draft
