Tyler Shough may have been the third quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the early returns are making the New Orleans Saints look like they found the best one.
That’s the backdrop as Pro Football Focus analyst Bradley Locker put together his list of 10 players under the most pressure in Year 2, and Shough’s name wasn’t on it. Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart did make the cut, which only sharpens the contrast around Shough’s start and the way he’s being viewed right now.
The Saints quarterback already did enough in his rookie season to change the conversation. He finished as the runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year even though he started only 9 games, and he wasn’t second to another quarterback. That alone tells you how much impact he had when he got on the field.
Locker’s focus on Ward and Dart centered on accuracy, while Shough’s rookie year was defined by something different: he was one of the most accurate rookies in NFL history. That’s why the pressure around him feels a little unusual.
He’s not fighting to prove he belongs in the league. He’s trying to show he can keep doing it.
That’s the real test now. Shough has already justified plenty of the offseason praise, but one strong stretch isn’t enough to lock in the label of franchise quarterback. To become that, he has to deliver again and again, or at least sustain it over a full season.
Ward and Dart may have entered the league with higher projected ceilings, but the production so far points in Shough’s direction. He’s been the best quarterback in the class to this point, even if he wasn’t among the names tagged with the most pressure heading into Year 2.
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