Scouts Pick Saints Quarterback Shough as Top 2026 Breakout Candidate
NFL scouts and executives surveyed on which players are poised for a breakout season in 2026 repeatedly pointed to one name: New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough. One team executive said no young quarterback is "better set up for success" than Shough, while a scout called him the best rookie quarterback in last year's draft class.
Shough, a second-round pick in 2025 out of Louisville, lost the Saints' training-camp quarterback competition to Spencer Rattler before taking over as the starter and finishing 5-4 in nine starts. He completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, adding 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. New Orleans finished 6-11, two games out of a playoff spot. Evaluators credited Shough with notable growth handling pocket pressure as the season progressed, and one scout said only Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart might ultimately surpass him from that rookie class given Dart's dual-threat skill set. swedish floorball betting
Before reaching New Orleans, Shough spent seven years in college football, including stops at Oregon and Texas Tech marked by injuries, before a final season at Louisville under head coach Jeff Brohm. He completed 63% of his passes for 3,195 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions, leading the Cardinals to a 9-4 record. Brohm said he adjusted Louisville's scheme to limit designed quarterback runs, a change aimed at protecting Shough's durability, and said he was confident Shough would find success at the next level after watching him show poise, leadership and arm strength throughout that season. Shough also tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.63-second 40-yard dash.
Entering his second season, Shough works again under Saints head coach Kellen Moore, with wide receiver Chris Olave, tight end Juwan Johnson and running back Travis Etienne surrounding him. Rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, described by one executive as a potential top receiver from this year's draft class, is expected to miss at least the first four weeks with a hamstring injury and could be out into mid-October. Scouts said that absence is a setback but believe Shough has enough talent and support around him to keep progressing. Separately, an NFC scout identified Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland as players who could emerge as elite performers under head coach Ben Johnson, with Loveland closing last season on a run of 28 catches for 378 yards and two touchdowns over his final four games, including two playoff contests.
