NASHVILLE, Tenn.
The NFL draft is not an exact science. It never has been. It never will be. And every spring, the league collectively shrugs its shoulders, makes its picks and waits years to find out who was right, who was wrong and who simply saw something before everyone else did.
On Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium, New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough added his name to the long list of reminders that being overlooked on draft weekend does not preclude being right on Sundays.
Shough, a mid second-round pick in April, delivered his most complete performance as a professional in the Saints’ 34-26 comeback victory over the Tennessee Titans, completing 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 12.3 yards per attempt, finished with a 142.7 passer rating, and authored a second-half surge that flipped the game and perhaps altered the trajectory of New Orleans’ rebuild.
The Saints trailed early. Then they didn’t. They scored 24 points in the second half, with all 34 of their points coming after the first quarter, and looked like a team that finally knows who it is — and who it has under center.
That wasn’t the surprise. The surprise, at least to some, was how few people saw this coming.
Except one.
Months before Shough ever put on a Saints helmet, Joe A — a full-time lawyer and part-time NFL data insider and quarterback evaluator — staked a bold claim. He rated Shough as his top quarterback in the draft, placing him above more celebrated names, including Cam Ward and others who dominated draft-night discussion.
It sounded aggressive at the time. Maybe reckless to some. But draft evaluations are opinions, not verdicts, and Shough’s early NFL returns have turned what once seemed contrarian into something closer to prescient.
There is no definitive right or wrong answer in April. There are only Sundays.
And Shough’s Sundays have been productive.
Since taking over as the Saints’ starter, the rookie has played with the calm and decisiveness of someone who understands both the opportunity and the urgency. Against Tennessee, he punished single coverage, attacked intermediate windows and consistently put the ball where his receivers could turn catches into gains. The Saints didn’t just move the ball — they dictated terms.
This wasn’t a fluke. Shough showed similar command late in his college career under quarterback guru Jeff Brohm, where the traits were always evident even when the spotlight wasn’t. The arm talent was real. The accuracy was real. The processing speed was real. The injuries were, too — and that history likely explains why he slid to Day 2.
But availability concerns don’t erase ability. They delay it.
New Orleans has benefited from that delay.
At 6-10 entering Week 18, the Saints have already exceeded preseason expectations. This was a roster many assumed would drift toward the bottom of the standings, especially during a transitional year with first-year head coach Kellen Moore implementing his system and reshaping the identity of the offense. Instead, New Orleans has been competitive, coherent and increasingly confident.
Shough’s emergence plays a central role in that shift.
Equally important is the economics. As a second-round rookie, Shough is on a team-friendly contract, giving the Saints financial flexibility at a time when it matters most. The post–Drew Brees era has been defined by searching — for answers, for stability, for a quarterback capable of anchoring the franchise without anchoring the salary cap.
Shough doesn’t have to be perfect. He just has to be functional, accurate and fearless. So far, he’s been all three.
The NFC South remains a division in flux, and that matters. In a landscape without a dominant power, incremental improvement can feel exponential. The Saints look like a team one season away from legitimate divisional contention, and perhaps two seasons away from a real playoff push, provided the foundation holds.
That foundation now includes a quarterback who distributes the ball efficiently, a coaching staff committed to development and a roster that, while aging in spots, is transitioning toward a younger core. Add another receiver. Reinforce the defense as veteran contracts cycle off. Stay disciplined.
The ceiling rises quickly when the most important position feels settled.
New Orleans has spent years trying to replace the production, poise and leadership Drew Brees provided. That’s an impossible task in direct terms. But the goal was never to find another Brees. It was to find the next direction.
Tyler Shough might be that direction.
Draft night didn’t make that obvious. Sunday afternoons are starting to.
And for a Saints franchise that has waited patiently for clarity under center, that might be the most important development of all.
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