Two former Louisville football stars are teaming up in the NFL. Tyler Shough and Quincy Riley were both drafted by the New Orleans Saints, as the two Cardinals are expected to make an immediate impact for the Saints. Both players have high expectations entering the 2025 season and have an excellent chance to start.
Shough was the talk of the night on Friday as the Saints front office made the bold choice of selecting the Cardinal over the Colorado phenom, Shedeur Sanders. Well, at the time, it was a bold choice. Sanders would end up dropping until the fifth round, but many experts went on tape and stated that they liked Shough's tape more than Sanders's.
Someone who has all the trust and confidence in Shough at the next level is his former college teammate and future NFL teammate, the Saint's fourth-round pick, and the former lockdown corner for Louisville.
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Saints' elite CB reveals bold decision to pick Tyler Shough over Shedeur Sanders
After Riley was drafted on Saturday, he was interviewed, and Luke Johnson of Times-Picayune reported that the former Cardinal cornerback is not only thrilled to be teaming up with Shough in New Orleans but also gave Saints fans the best pitch on why he is their future star.
"A quarterback that is a real leader. Riley stated, "The first day he got to Louisville, he made an immediate leadership impact. The throws I see him make in practice, I always say he's the best quarterback in the draft - not being biased because he's my teammate, but the things I see him do in practice and off the field."
Riley's massive pitch on Shough is both heartwarming and fiery, and it should reassure Saints fans. Entering the NFL Draft, many expected Sanders to be picked well before Shough. However, after Shough's impressive performances at the Reese's Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and NFL Pro Day, there are several glaring reasons why he was selected over Sanders, who did not participate in any of those events.
"We'd watch film before practice with the team, but as soon as we'd get done with practice, I would see him be in there for hours watching film after practice," Riley stated on Shough. "And it was like, 'Oh yeah, this is the quarterback I want on my team.' And he knows how to win games and brings so much swag to the team, too."
Riley appears to be Shough's ultimate hype man and should have Saints fans now in love with their decision, as not only does his film and stats speak for themselves, but according to Riley, he is a quarterback who will put in hours of work behind the scenes in the film room to perfect his craft. That is the quarterback every player and coach wants to lead their team, and Riley is already the first Saints player to speak up about his leadership ability.
Shough was the more mature quarterback at 25 years old and is a player who will not only work harder but also give the Saints a better opportunity to win now.
The former Cardinals quarterback was just the No. 13 player in program history to throw for over 3,000 passing yards, and once Saints fans watch his film, they will eventually see the potential in Shough and understand why Kellen Moore selected him over Sanders.
For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason, and the NFL Draft stay tuned.