Todd McShay may no longer be with ESPN, but he’s still making waves in the NFL Draft world.
Now working with The Ringer, McShay has been evaluating this year’s quarterback class, and like many analysts, he isn’t particularly impressed.
Most experts have Miami’s Cam Ward as the top quarterback in the class, though many agree he wouldn’t have cracked the upper tier of last year’s draft. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders has widely been considered the No. 2 QB behind Ward.
But McShay, and many others, are suddenly not so sure…
During an appearance on David Pollack’s YouTube channel, McShay suggested that, based purely on tape, Louisville’s Tyler Shough might deserve to be drafted ahead of Sanders.
“I, honest to god, think that Tyler Shough from Louisville based off of one year on tape, if you’re just dropped on this planet and you’re looking at one year of tape, is as good as any of those guys,” McShay said.
“Maybe you start him at two behind Cam Ward in terms of natural talent and what Ward could develop into. I might take him, if I didn’t know anything about anything, I might take Tyler Shough over Shedeur Sanders.”
Shough’s journey to this moment has been anything but conventional.
The 25-year-old quarterback began his college career at Oregon in 2018, where he sat behind Justin Herbert before starting seven games in 2020.
He then transferred to Texas Tech but was plagued by injuries, appearing in just 15 games across three seasons.
Looking for a fresh start, Shough landed at Louisville for his final season in 2024. This time, he stayed healthy and delivered his best year yet, throwing for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions over 12 games.
“Three injuries, three years in a row, finally transfers again to Louisville, gets with the Brohms, gets some development, has a healthy year, and his tape was awesome,” McShay said.
Shough and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart have sky-rocketed up the draft boards and both could very well end up being first round picks.
Meanwhile, Sanders’ stock continues to take a hit.
While it would still be a surprise to see Shough taken before Sanders, the Louisville quarterback has clearly gained momentum as a potential sleeper in this year’s draft class.
What are your thoughts on McShay’s comments? … How do you see the draft playing out from a quarterback perspective???
