As far as college football experience goes, Louisville QB Tyler Shough is a seasoned veteran. The 25 year-old quarterback spent seven seasons in college: three at Oregon, three at Texas Tech, and one final year as the starting quarterback for Louisville. It was quite a rollercoaster ride for Shough, but he’s grateful for his unique journey and the many obstacles he had to overcome.
“You come into college…you want to go three and out and go to the league and have an illustrious career,” Shough said at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine via our Ross McCorkle. “I would be lying if I didn’t want that as well coming out. But I think this has been the greatest thing for me because it’s given me a new perspective.
Shough’s optimistic outlook is impressive, considering he was hit with devastating injuries over and over again. In 2021, Shough broke his left collarbone. After recovering and preparing to start for Texas Tech, he rebroke the same collarbone. And in his third and final season at Texas Tech, Shough made it through just four games before he broke his fibula. Most players would have packed up their cleats and moved on past football with this kind of injury history. Not Shough.
“I think you have to get injured, you have to go through some things, because all these things can happen in the NFL. So I feel really mentally equipped quite honestly. And I think it’s made me who I am today. I’m really thankful for it, every step.”
Despite being just a few months younger than Justin Fields, Shough isn’t overly concerned with his age coming into the NFL draft. Instead, he views his age as a positive.
“I don’t think the NFL considers [age] a negative. I haven’t heard any questions about it thus far. I consider it a positive. I think quarterbacks play better into their thirties. It’s kind of shown up time and time again. You see guys like Bo Nix and Michael Penix and Jayden Daniels who’ve kind of gone through some stuff in their college career and they’ve had success early on [in the NFL]…And I feel like as time gets going you only mature and get better as a thrower.”
Time certainly seemed to help Shough in his collegiate career. In his seventh season, Shough started all 12 games for the first time in his career. He threw for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns, while leading Louisville to an 8-4 record. The numbers were really solid, but Shough believes his strengths as a quarterback go well beyond the box score.
“On tape you’ll see different arm angles, you’ll see run out of the pocket, you’ll see the athleticism. I think more than anything what’s hard to see is the hitting yards…getting into new pass plays and trying to get us into the best position pre-snap and then adjusting post-snap.”
At 6047, 219 pounds, Shough has a great frame for a pocket passer. Shough also proved to be more than capable of picking up yards on the ground while at Oregon and Texas Tech. And he showcased his speed with an impressive 4.64 40 yard-dash.
Although he didn’t run much in his final year at Louisville, he developed a skill that’s just as important in the NFL: protecting your body and avoiding sacks.
“I think the biggest thing in the NFL is your longevity and your availability. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win and get the first down, but at the same time playing at Louisville, I didn’t take very many sacks because I was more aware of my check, I was more aware of how I can protect my body.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted Shough for a visit this past Thursday. Our own Alex Kozora projected him as a third-round draft pick, and rated him as the fourth-best quarterback in the class, comparing him to an older, slightly less athletic and accurate Will Howard. We’ll see if Omar Khan takes a chance on the old rookie gunslinger on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Check out our full scouting report below.
