Saints draft QB at 40, take Shough over Sanders

The New Orleans Saints picked their potential franchise quarterback in the second round of the NFL draft.

And it wasn't Shedeur Sanders.

The Saints bypassed Sanders for the second time in as many nights Friday, selecting Louisville's Tyler Shough with the 40th pick.

Shough could be a replacement for Derek Carr, whose future with the Saints is uncertain. New Orleans had the ninth pick in Thursday's first round, but passed on available quarterbacks -- including Sanders -- to select offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr.

Shough was the third quarterback chosen in this year's draft, after Cam Ward (No. 1) and Jaxson Dart (No. 25), while Sanders remained available after being widely projected as a first-round pick during the predraft process.

The selection of Shough means the Saints could be looking to a future beyond Carr, who was signed as a free agent under then-coach Dennis Allen in 2023. Carr's future came into question after coach Kellen Moore appeared to be noncommittal about him as a starter in his opening news conference in February.

Moore later backed Carr during multiple offseason interviews in the following month, and the Saints restructured his contract that essentially tied Carr to them for at least one more season.

However, Carr was open to exploring his options before the restructure. Carr also has a shoulder injury that was not made public until the weekend before the team's report date for offseason workouts.

Shough, who will turn 26 in September, is the oldest quarterback in this year's draft class. He played seven years of college football, beginning in 2018 at Oregon, where he started seven games in the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020.

He transferred to Texas Tech and started nine games over the next three seasons, missing time due to a collarbone injury and a broken leg.

Shough's final season was in 2024 at Louisville, where he started 12 games and completed 62.7% of his passes for 3,915 yards and 23 touchdowns. He ran for one touchdown and threw six interceptions. Shough played in the Senior Bowl, where the Saints have identified many recent draft picks, including the past two quarterbacks they've selected.

The Saints have picked a quarterback in the past three drafts, taking Spencer Rattler in the fifth round in 2024 and Jake Haener in the fourth round in 2023.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell contributed to this report.