2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Louisville QB Tyler Shough

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, Day 3 selections, or priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough.

NO. 9 Tyler Shough/QB Louisville – 6047, 224 pounds (Redshirt Senior)

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

– Prototypical size and great overall build with big hands
– Displays well-rounded game
– Great accuracy on short/intermediate throw
– Enough arm strength to make far hash throws
– Size and enough strength to throw out of sacks
– Understands when to make touch throws and knows how to take something off the ball
– Experience under center and successful working off play-action
– Effective pump fake that gets defenders to bite
– Keeps eyes downfield and shows good accuracy on the move, even to his left
– Can throw with accuracy off platform
– Able to drop arm slot to fit ball around defenders, especially in RPO game
– Compact release, quick catch/release in quick/RPO game
– Moderate foot speed and can run in a line while size makes him useful in designed short-yardage runs
– Knows where checkdown is against pressure
– Navigates pocket well, able to hitch and climb and doesn’t drift or bail unnecessarily
– Bounces back from mistakes and displays short-term memory
– Willing to make tight-window throws and generally able to fit ball in
– Got better throughout season and elevated team/talent in 2024
– Regarded as high-character and leader

The Bad

– Lacks top-end arm and physical tools
– Good, not great arm, ball jumps off hand but may lack ideal velocity to truly drive the ball downfield or over the middle
– Not strong enough anticipatory thrower; routinely late on throws that lead to defenders driving and breaking up passes
– Doesn’t have foot speed to get away from rushers and marginal athlete/rushing threat
– Will force throws and make mistakes trying to push ball downfield
– Struggles against the blitz and doesn’t always know where his hot read is, leading to increased pressure and sacks
– Doesn’t always read coverages well, leading to misses and mistakes
– Only one year of serious production and as full-time starter
– Plenty of medical concerns and struggled to stay healthy
– One of the oldest prospects in the class, age and time in college may have given him leg up going against younger players

Bio

– Will turn 26 in September 2025
– 32 career starts across three colleges in seven years: Oregon (2018-2020), Texas Tech (2021-2023), and Louisville (2024)
– Career: 599-of-951 (63 percent) for 7,820 yards, 59 TDs and 23 INTs along with 733 yards rushing and 11 TDs
– 2024 at Louisville: 244-of-389 (62.7 percent) for 3,195 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions and one rushing score
– Four-star recruit from Chandler, Arizona, chose Oregon over Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and top Ivy League schools (Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, and Yale) and briefly replaced Justin Herbert after he left for NFL; initially committed to North Carolina before flipping to Oregon
– Made seven starts for Ducks in 2020 before transferring to Texas Tech, where he started four games in 2022 and five in 2023 before transferring again to Louisville
– Left Oregon as grad transfer after being benched in Fiesta Bowl, giving him three years of eligibility remaining
– Broke collarbone in 2021 and 2022 seasons while breaking his left fibula in 2023, receiving medical hardships that allowed him to spend seven years in college
– Named one of three NCAA Comeback Player of the Year winners in 2024
– Last name pronounced “shuck”
– Mother is retired teacher who beat Stage 4 breast cancer despite being given 6-12 months to live; father is retired police officer
– Brother died shortly after mother’s cancer diagnosis
– Threw for over 3,000 yards and 30 TDs as high school senior; bought o-line “donuts or burritos” throughout high school career for protecting him
– Led HS team to playoffs despite head coach, AD, and current/former players removed in hazing incident where several players were arrested
– Had 4.5 HS GPA and was part of National Honors Society
– Former MLB players Jamie Brewington and Clay Bellinger served as his mentors growing up

Tape Breakdown

Louisville’s Tyler Shough has had one of the windiest – and longest – college careers of anyone in this year’s class. But the media’s quickly gained steam about his play and potential in what’s considered a down quarterback class. Shough brings a prototypical build to the position that’s becoming harder to find, looking and often playing like an old-school pocket passer.

His game is well-rounded, and he can make throws at all three levels. His accuracy is solid, and he can hit a moving target for YAC. He also shows proper touch on throws to drop passes in the bucket.

While not often used as a runner at Louisville, it’s more evident in his Texas Tech tape. Like my comparison with Ohio State’s Will Howard, Shough is the same type of runner. Perhaps not as fast but capable straight line in a Daniel Jones-esque fashion. He showed off his wheels on this long, designed quarterback run with the Red Raiders in 2023.

He’s one of a few quarterbacks to see consistent reps working under center that weren’t just quarterback sneaks. He’s successful off play-action and won’t have to adjust to taking pro-style drops and turning his back to the defense like much of the rest of the class.

Shough’s arm strength is good, and you can see the ball jump off his hand even without being able to stride into it. But his deep ball is inconsistent and can hang and it isn’t the best part of his game.

But physical tools aren’t my concern. Shough struggles as an anticipatory thrower and often throws to receivers who are open instead of throwing receivers open. A big difference for the NFL. It leads to throws batted away from defenders because Shough is late getting the ball out.

Some of these are completions but receivers have to slow down and wait for the ball to land in their arms.

And he’s shown issues finding his hot read against the blitz. While his o-line didn’t do him many favors at Louisville, he was often under pressure, he struggled to beat corner/cat blitzes. That led to pressure and sacks.

On multiple occasions, he struggled to read the defense and threw downfield ducks, including during one tight game against Virginia. You can see the deep ball hanging issue here, too.

Shough’s spotty medicals and age are off-field concerns. Broken bones derailed three-straight seasons and is the reason why he spent seven years in college. In a vacuum, him being nearly 26 isn’t a deal breaker for a quarterback the way it would be for other positions. Quarterbacks can play well into their 30s.

But you have to wonder if Shough took advantage of being a 25-year-old facing mostly 20-22-year-olds, defenders who simply weren’t as mature and experienced as Shough. That’s a factor when you consider his one year rise of solid play.

Conclusion

Overall, Tyler Shough is a solid and well-balanced quarterback. Some of the buzz he’s receiving is warranted. Initially wowing me watching his tape, a shootout loss against Cam Ward and Miami (Fla.), his problems and flaws became more evident. And that’s before even getting into the age/medical concerns.

His game is similar to Will Howard, whom I am very high on. But Howard is younger, more accurate, and a little more athletic with a bigger body of work and a much smaller injury history. My comp for Shough is Matt Cassel and my grade has him ahead of Jalen Milroe and Jaxson Dart and likely the No. 4 quarterback of the class behind Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and Howard.

Projection: Mid-Late Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – Third Round (Potential Starter/Good Backup)
Games Watched: vs Oregon (2023 – with Texas Tech), at Virginia (2024), vs Miami FL (2024), vs SMU (2024), Oregon cut-ups