Well, who can forget the biggest draft prank of the year? For the second day in a row, the Sanders family gathered and waited. Shedeur Sander’s phone finally lit up, the Well Off Media cameras were rolling, and the BBQ still smelled fresh. They believed it was happening. A voice came through, “This is Mickey Loomis here, general manager of the Saints.” Shedeur grinned, trapped between nerves and relief. He said, “Been waiting on you.” The speaker said, “We’re gonna take you with our next pick right here, man.” Shedeur’s response? “Yes, sir, let’s be legendary.” But the response that came next left him all puzzled. “You’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that.” And Click. The call just disconnected, and the Saints vanished in an instant.
It was a gut punch. Not only was it a missed chance, but it was also the second time that New Orleans had passed on Shedeur Sanders. The flashbacks were too familiar for Deion’s son. However, someone spoke up about it this time.
Drew Brees, a Hall of Famer and Saints legend, commented on The Dan Patrick Show, which is currently echoing more loudly than a Superdome roar around New Orleans. “All you need is one guy to love you, or one team or one coach or one scout…For whatever reason, all these other teams just didn’t see it or didn’t believe it.” Brees didn’t hold back. As he chose between Tyler Shough and Shedeur Sanders, “There’s that one person on that one team or one coach or that one scout who just stands up on the table for the guy and is like ‘I’m telling you he’s got something, we got it, we gotta take him’ and then the rest is history. And that’s all Shedeur Sanders needs.” The reason he said so was that he witnessed teams overanalyzing, outsmarting themselves, and letting the obvious talent pass them by in previous drafts.
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And he also had no intention of remaining silent when the Saints doubled down on their mistake. “I don’t want to hear the Sanders hate… We’ll regret passing on Shedeur just like we did with Lamar Jackson.” Lamar Jackson wasn’t mentioned at random. The Saints had the opportunity to select Jackson in the late first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. They passed. Baltimore didn’t. We are aware of the outcome of that. And now? Once more, they passed on Shedeur Sanders. The Saints chose Tyler Shough instead. Brees didn’t explicitly blast Shough, but let’s face it, the message was clear. Don’t draft the guy who has the potential to be the best; instead, draft the best. Sanders appears to be the quarterback who has something to prove.
Shedeur, being the sixth quarterback off the board, yet he leads all first-round picks other than Travis Hunter and Cam Ward in jersey sales, ranking third. The kid still makes news despite dropping to 144th place overall. In terms of jersey sales, he is the only non-first-round player in the top 10. The Saints’ Season Instagram page mentioned, Brees said, “I’m rooting for QB Tyler Shough too, but l’ll always support Shedeur. And truthfully, he should’ve been a Saint.”
Tyler Shough steps up, giving Kellen Moore’s new era a promising start
Kellen Moore and the Saints had their sights set on a different future when the internet swept over Shedeur. Tyler Shough, a 26-year-old seven-season collegiate veteran with 7,820 passing yards and the kind of resume that makes evaluators scratch their heads and fans lean in, was selected by them with pick No. 40. Since Archie Manning, this was the Saints’ highest-drafted quarterback.
And Shough is already demonstrating his charm and ease in the spotlight. In a recent Saints video that was uploaded on X, “I can throw the football left-handed pretty good,” he said. “Might try that in a game… just kidding.” The Saints are leaning in, and Shough is settling in quickly. From Oregon to Texas Tech to Louisville, Shough’s journey was anything but straight. He has witnessed setbacks, injuries, and transfers. However, he had an incredible 2024 season with 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only 6 picks. And what else? At Louisville, he flourished in Jeff Brohm’s pro-style offence.
Yes, Tyler Shough is 26 years old. When your starter (Derek Carr) has retired and the offence urgently needs a leader, experience is important. And as Robert Griffin III said it best, “Tyler Shough is a good QB. His arm is one of the more lively arms in this NFL Draft Class. His tape was not better than Shedeur Sanders’ tape. Period.” Still, here we are. Moore caught a glimpse and went with Shough. Enough to place a wager on a quarterback in the mid-tier for the Saints’ future. It might be dangerous. Maybe, brilliant. In any case, the Shough Era is now formally underway.
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