Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.
Louisville’s Tyler Shough is one of the more intriguing prospects in this year’s underwhelming quarterback class. At first glance, he’s a late-round flier, but the tape reveals a very good passer. Should the Steelers be interested?
Position: Quarterback
Class: Seventh-year senior
Size: 6’5, 219 pounds
Age: 25 (will be 26 in September)
Projected draft round: 3
Stats via Sports Reference
Louisville’s Tyler Shough (pronounced “shuck”) isn’t exactly a hard evaluation on tape. But his draft projection? Near impossible.
He’s a good quarterback — we’ll get to that shortly — but Shough’s profile comes with two massive red flags: his age, and his injury history.
The “seventh-year senior” in the bio section of this article isn’t a typo. Shough collected extra NCAA eligibility years like infinity stones during his college career, seemingly taking notes from former Oregon teammate Cam McCormick. Shough is currently 25 with a September birthday, meaning for the vast majority of his rookie campaign, he’ll be 26. He’ll be nearly 30 when his first NFL contract is up.
Quarterbacks play forever these days — the Steelers are desperately trying to sign the 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers at the moment — but age is an undeniable concern with Shough. Not only does it shorten his prime years in the NFL, but it rushes the development calendar as you don’t want Shough (if a presumed starter) wasting too many years on the bench. And then, of course, there’s the question of if Shough’s immense college experience is the main reason why his 2024 season was so good.
But Shough also has a surprising lack of on-field experience for a player who had the time to earn four degrees as a student-athlete. He has just one full season under his belt with 42 career games played — and in the first eight he attempted just 15 passes combined. The reason, outside of Shough’s slow start at Oregon, would be the injuries that decimated his 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons at Texas Tech: a broken collarbone, a re-broken collarbone, and a broken fibula in consecutive years.
That’s been enough to give Shough the dreaded “injury-prone” label, but he’s made sure to point out that the injuries were all broken bones — not knee or back issues. And he was finally healthy for his 2024 season at Louisville, showing off what he can do when he’s able to play more than seven times in one season.
Shough’s draft profile comes with a lot of baggage that will undoubtedly affect his draft stock. But with that out of the way, let’s dive into what he brings as a player.
For one, his arm jumps off the screen. Shough throws a pretty deep ball with a consistent tight spiral. He has an effortless, flick-of-the-wrist throwing motion and can successfully pass downfield off of his back foot. He’s also flashed the ability to throw side-arm and across his body. Shough can make all the NFL throws and then some.
Tyler Shough is a great arm talent: pretty deep ball, zippy throwing motion, off-platform/different arm angle throws, some nice ball placement. pic.twitter.com/tM8lCHMYGv
— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B) March 31, 2025
He also throws well on the move, rolling out of the pocket in both directions and still showing good zip and accuracy on his passes.
Shough’s arm is near-elite, but he could improve it with more consistent footwork. He throws well off-platform but doesn’t step into throws enough, meaning they occasionally float on him. I’ve seen theories that Shough’s often quick, backpedaling release is because he has a tendency to shy away from hits following three straight seasons with bone breaks.
You can see it a bit with Shough’s sometimes panicked throwaways and dump-offs ahead of contact. Sometimes, the results show off his arm and ability to avoid sacks; other times, they enter Will Levis territory.
However, Shough isn’t soft by any means. I liked this play where his block broke an end reverse for a big gain:
Shough knows he has a great arm, and he can get a little overzealous trying to force throws at times, although it’s hardly a major issue. As you can see in the clips above and below, sometimes his process speeds up under pressure and he can miss peripheral defenders.
Shough is imperfect under pressure; more accurately, he’s a bit streaky, with some games/stretches where he gets flustered and others where he confidently delivers and weathers hits. Of the games I watched, the latter was more common. Shough can step into throws and fire lasers into the teeth of the defense when he wants to.
Other aspects of Shough’s game show off his veteran status. He was consistently effective in the short game, with Louisville’s quick outs terrorizing secondaries that played with big cushions. His fast mechanics helped him take a short drop and distribute the ball with ease.
All-22 of Shough was hard to come across online, but overall he looks like one of the better quarterbacks in this class when it comes to going through his progressions. I also saw a few anticipatory throws.
Most impressive were the instances of Shough tricking defenses with his eyes or a strong pump fake:
I loved this play where Shough took the time to move the linebacker with his eyes on a flat route to the tight end, opening up a lane for extra yardage:
Despite having a tall, somewhat lanky build, Shough offers some usefulness as a runner. He’s hardly one of the better scramblers in this class, but he can move in the pocket and gain some yardage when needed. His 4.63-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine showed more straight-line speed than some expected; Shough is very much a pocket passer, but he’s not a statue.
After watching a sizable chunk of Shough’s 2024, I came away impressed. It’s probably about time I start walking back what I declared back in February about him being a “comfortable” Day 3 target.
To be clear, I’d still be the most comfortable picking Shough somewhere in the later rounds. His age/injury combination is hard to ignore — I’ve seen some Michael Penix Jr. comparisons in that area, but keep in mind that Penix was two years younger than Shough as a rookie and coming off two straight 4,500-plus-yard, 30-plus touchdown seasons. It took Shough seven years to break 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in a collegiate season.
But the recent tape is good. NFL-caliber good. If Shough had the exact season he had in 2024 but at 22 years old and with less injury concerns, I legitimately think he’d be in the late first-round conversation and a top-three quarterback in the class.
Ultimately, it just takes one team to decide to draft Shough early. I’m going to split the difference between my earlier Day 3 prediction and some of the recent first-round hype by predicting Shough is drafted in the third, but I wouldn't be surprised if he goes in the second or lasts into the fourth or later. I’m curious to see how concerned teams are by his unorthodox journey through college football.
Tyler Shough strengths
High-end arm talent; easy, quick flick-of-the-wrist motion; can throw at different angles, on the run, off of back foot
Can fool the defense with his eyes, pump fakes; goes through progressions well
Above-average, natural accuracy; some nice ball placement on tape even when rushed
Not a running quarterback but solid pocket mobility, scrambling speed
Competent operator in the quick passing game
Weaknesses
Age: will be 26 during rookie season
Injury history: three straight seasons from 2021-23 with broken bones
Can occasionally force tight-window throws
Throwaways can be careless at times
Hot and cold as an improviser; streaky under pressure
Footwork can lead to high throws
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com
Pocket passer with a seven-year college career prompted by three consecutive years of injuries while at Texas Tech. Shough will turn 26 in September, was in the same recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence and backed up Justin Herbert at Oregon. He’s a talented passer with a live arm who is capable of making pro throws both intermediate and deep but battles inconsistency. He plays with good field vision, using his eyes to hold defenders and set up his throwing windows. Shough is confident and accurate when protected, but will flinch when pressure mounts, leading to spotty decision-making and big sacks. His size and passing talent will be enticing, but durability and mobility concerns are impediments he will need to overcome.
Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team
Shough projects as a developmental starter or bridge quarterback at the NFL level. He could absolutely be an adequate starter with a good cast around him in time, but the unlikely intersections required for opportunity, time on task at the NFL level, and health make it difficult to bet too big. He’d be a good fit for an under center, play-action scheme that can play off of the dropback passing game with rollouts and bootlegs while taking advantage of his arm fluidity and athleticism. Grade: 74.50/100.00, Third Round Value
Chris Pflum of Big Blue View
Shough can execute a wide variety of offenses, from a Spread Coast horizontal offense to an Air Raid vertical attack, to the concepts found [in] pro-style offenses. He has a propensity for generating “WOW” throws and can threaten the entire field as long as he has a smidgen of room to set his feet. He can bail out his offensive line and will give his receivers a chance to make big plays. … The problem is, of course, with Shough’s age and injury history. … Tyler Shough is a grown, mentally and physically mature man – he’s married and has his master’s degree. It’s possible that teams will believe that he is what he is. Or it’s possible that they could see untapped upside and he could be the steal of the draft.
Shough has all the tools to be a starter in the NFL — possibly a very good one. Does he fit with the Steelers? Sure. He doesn’t bring the high level of mobility that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith seems to appreciate, but he can throw well on the run, making him a great choice for play-action, and he can scramble when needed.
While Shough has flaws as a player, he offers a polished, toolsy skill set overall and should be able to contribute right away. I can’t help but think how Bo Nix’s five years in college gave him the poise to handle the NFL early on, leading to a surprisingly excellent rookie campaign for the Broncos.
Shough has the arm and touch to succeed with Pittsburgh’s duo of downfield threats in George Pickens and D.K. Metcalf, and he’ll likely offer more in the middle of the field than Russell Wilson did last season.
He might be a great pick, but when? The injury and age concerns are freakishly huge, but if you believe Shough can be a franchise guy — even if he’s four years older than the ideal — it’s probably worth the risk at some point. Just hope the Steelers do their homework — and they seem to be, with Shough being reported as one of the team’s first top-30 visits of the draft season.
TL;DR: Shough is a talented pocket passer with a big arm, smooth mechanics, and a more polished game than your average college passer. The reason? A whopping seven years in the NCAA, and due to injuries, only one of those seasons was productive. Drafting Shough early is a massive gamble, but he has the tools to start in the NFL.
What are your thoughts on Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!
