Tyler Shough 6’4 ¾ 219 Louisville

Trait Grades (Shough) 

Arm Talent (B+) Toughness (B+) Anticipation (A-) Arm Strength (A-) 

Pocket Presence (B) Football IQ (A-) Ball Placement/Accuracy (B+) 

Intangibles/Off Field (A-) Touch (A-) Delivery/Mechanics (A-) 

Running/Athleticism (B) Throw on Run (B+)  

Full Games Studied (Shough) – (2024) Jacksonville St, Boston College, Virginia, SMU, Notre Dame, Miami. 

Tape Analysis (Shough)

Shows innate ability to throw with anticipation to all three levels (short, medium, long). A more decisive decision maker early in the down (when he is able to confirm a read or decision pre-snap) the longer Shough plays into the down, the worse he becomes from both a pocket presence & ball placement standpoint as his accuracy has a tendency to wane in these situations. Shows good command of the position (footwork, internal clock & anticipating spots vs specific coverages) Benefited from playing in a Pro-Style NFL offense under HC Jeff Brohm in 2024 which acted as a sort of NFL apprenticeship where Shough was tasked with setting protections, working from under center at times, repping the play action game & a passing game that conceptually resembles NFL offense. (To note- Aiden O’Connell came into the league highly equipped playing under Brohm at Purdue from 2019-2022. Shough remains fundamentally sound executing the play action passing game from under center as he quickly snaps his head around after the fake with quick setup matching quick/clean footwork. Shows the ability to quicken up his delivery based on timing in these situations. Understands how to throw with touch at an above adequate level, across a variety of throws (short, intermediate & deep fade) When throwing the deep ball, Shough is adept at diagnosing coverage indicators pre-snap & able to quicken up his feet & release to give his receivers optimal chance at reception. Shough is comfortable extending plays late into the down. Decision making in these situations has proven to be erratic and average at best. Numerous examples of Shough forcing the football into coverage when running out of real estate late in the play, resulting in interceptions.  Shows enough athleticism to create with his feet via unscripted rushing when a play breaks down. At times, Shough looks like a young Matthew Stafford from a purely stylistic standpoint. Shough does not possess the 99th percentile elite arm talent of Stafford nor decision making prowess. I am speaking solely from a release, mechanical & footwork/playing speed perspective. Intuitive understanding of where weak spots/holes in zone coverage are. Shough takes advantage of this by anticipating windows/throwing his receivers open. He can do this while also being forced off his spot. Pliable release/ability to manipulate his throwing motion on demand. 

Weaknesses

His overall accuracy is considered good but there are many instances of his ball placement not being precise enough across a number of different throws on film. This could end up being something that prevents him from being a franchise quarterback at the next level. Pure arm strength is a mild concern, especially, when Shough is on the move. Throws will lose steam on the back end at times, and could become an issue at the NFL level for him. Concern that his talent has already been “maxed out” at Louisville playing under a passing game centric philosophy under Brohm. 6’5” frame is a cause for trepidation in some league circles…will he be able to adjust his change of direction quickly enough while still being accurate enough playing against the best athletes in the world (with all of the long levers of being roughly 6′ 5” ? Tendency to resort to ¾ release when moving out of pocket (risky).

Projection

Tyler Shough will end up being drafted as early as Round 1 or as late as Round 3. There is a possibility that he is the most ready to step in and play QB prospect from the entire 2025 rookie quarterback class. We believe Shough has enough refined traits as a passer to be given a chance as a starting quarterback in the NFL at some point. System fit will be paramount for him, but he has enough ability to succeed given the right circumstances. He is a guy who does a little bit of everything well while being able to minimize his flaws. How much playing in a quarterback friendly system helped him achieve this may be telling as he makes the transition to the NFL where he is not afforded the luxury of having both Jeff & Brian Brohm at his disposal.