It has been a while since a 25-year-old had this many jokes made about being too old.
Shough, whose first college snaps came back in 2018, had plenty of positive traits but it was also hard to ignore that he turns 26 years old on Sept. 28. He’s about a year younger than Jalen Hurts, who just won a Super Bowl MVP. He was in the same high school recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Micah Parsons and Patrick Surtain II. Most teams don’t want to invest a high draft pick in a player who is that age coming into the draft.
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The New Orleans weren’t dissuaded. They picked Shough with the 40th pick of the NFL Draft. Notably, they passed on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders to take Shough.
Even though Shough is old for an NFL rookie, he has experience. He appeared in seven different seasons for Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville, extending his eligibility with an extra COVID season and a medical redshirt. Last season with Louisville he emerged with 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns. He wasn’t on the NFL radar before that season, but in his seventh college season he showed a good arm, size and production.
Shough is far from a long-term project at quarterback, so it will be interesting to see how his development takes shape. The Saints could use a new starting quarterback right away, with Derek Carr’s availability in 2025 uncertain due to a shoulder injury. Shough could start pretty early in the season, depending on Carr. Whenever he plays Shough is finally getting his NFL shot, long after some of the stars in his recruiting class.
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