The New Orleans Saints selected a quarterback with the 40th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It wasn’t Shedeur Sanders.
While Sanders was still on the board, New Orleans opted to take Louisville’s Tyler Shough over the Colorado star.
The Saints were expected to be a top landing spot for a quarterback at some point during the draft because of Derek Carr’s uncertain future. Many believed that could lead New Orleans to target Sanders on Day 2 if available, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Daniel Jeremiah both reported the Saints appeared to be more interested in Shough.
Shough, 25, is one of the oldest players in the 2025 draft class. He played seven college seasons at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville thanks to a combination of medical redshirts and an extra year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shough spent just one season with the Cardinals but performed well, completing 62.7% of his passes for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. His combination of arm talent and athleticism allowed his stock to rise during the draft process, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting some teams had Shough as the top quarterback on their board.
Now, Shough will look to establish himself as the Saints’ top quarterback. He will compete for that role with 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler if Carr can’t play amid his shoulder injury.
As for Sanders, he will continue his long wait to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.