Why Saints Selected Tyler Shough Ahead Of Shedeur Sanders As NFL Draft Slide Continues

Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders has taken another gut punch as the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft rolls on. Widely considered below Sanders in prospect rankings, former Louisville Cardinals starter Tyler Shough became the third quarterback selected ahead of Sanders early in the draft.

With veteran quarterback Derek Carr’s status for next season up in the air due to a shoulder injury, the New Orleans Saints pulled the trigger on Shough early in the second round with the No. 39 overall pick. It’s now unclear whether Sanders, the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, will be selected at all in the second or third round on Friday. Rounds four through seven are set for Saturday.

After falling out of the first round on Thursday, Sanders expressed optimism about Friday.

“We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything is possible,” Shedeur said, per Well Off Media. “I feel like this didn’t happen for no reason. All this is, of course, is fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance, we all know this shouldn’t have happened, but we understand we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day, and we’re going to be happy regardless. Legendary.”

Shough’s selection does break one streak, however. The Saints last used a first or second-round pick on a quarterback in 1971 when they plucked soon-to-be NFL great Archie Manning.

Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Will Howard (Ohio State) and Quinn Ewers (Texas) are other quarterbacks still on the board along with Sanders.

Fox Sports analyst and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III was one of the many big names to sound the alarm on Sanders’ slide.

“When I’m seeing him drop, I’m like, ‘Why are we punishing this young man because he’s got confidence?” Fox Sports analyst Robert Griffin III said in a video posted to X. “Why are we punishing him because he went to Jackson State, an HBCU, and turned it around? Why are we punishing him because he went to Colorado and turned it around? Is it because of his daddy? Y’all that mad that he got his number retired?”

Griffin also shared his thoughts on Shough being picked over Sanders.

“Tyler Shough is a good QB. His arm is one of the more likely arms in the NFL Draft Class,” Griffin wrote on X. “His tape was not better than Shedeur Sanders’ tape. Period.”

“Coach Prime” posted the following message to X on Friday morning ahed of the second round:

“My bible says God uses the foolish things to confound the wise & he chose the weak things of the world that he may put to shame the strong! Please know God ain’t done & God is just really getting started. Enjoy this lesson & stop stressing,”

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis Announces Major Decision on Pending Fifth-Year Options

The Saints announced their decisions on Chris Olave and Trevor Penning’s fifth-year options.

The New Orleans Saints have announced their decisions regarding the fifth-year options for wide receiver Chris Olave and tackle Trevor Penning.

General Manager Mickey Loomis held a pre-draft press conference on Wednesday. While Loomis emphasized he would only answer questions on the upcoming draft, he eventually caved and answered about the team’s pending fifth-year option decisions.

Loomis confirmed the Saints will pick up star wide receiver Chris Olave’s fifth-year option, but decline tackle Trevor Penning’s.

Olave has been a bright spot on the Saints’ offense, posting two 1,000-yard seasons in his first three years. Despite the star wide receiver’s production since entering the league, there was uncertainty if New Orleans would pick up his option due to injuries. Olave has suffered four confirmed concussions in his NFL career, including two during the 2024 season.

Tackle Trevor Penning had a rough start to his career. From seeing minimal action as a rookie to being benched in his second year, it was always likely Penning’s option could be declined.

However, Penning showed growth after making a switch from left tackle to right tackle. While not flawless, Penning was able to start the entire 2024 season. He showed the potential to be a starting tackle for the Saints’ future with dominating reps over pass rushers.

Declining Penning’s option doesn’t mean he can’t be a part of the team’s future and Loomis made it clear by stating “that doesn’t mean we don’t love Trevor and expect him to be part of our team going forward.” The Saints want to see another season of growth from the young tackle in 2025 and a possible extension could be worked out before he hits free agency in 2026.

By picking up Olave’s option, the Saints are showing a commitment to keeping one of their core young pieces rostered and working towards a potential extension. With New Orleans likely to start a young quarterback in 2025, retaining a reliable target like Olave could be a key piece of development for the young passer.

“He is the best” Saints Ready to Make Massive Trade Deal for Star Running Back Alvin Kamara Replacement

Throughout his eight years with the New Orleans Saints, running back Alvin Kamara has solidified himself as one of the best at his position, being named to five Pro Bowls and Second-Team All-Pro twice.

Last season, he rushed 228 times for 950 yards and six touchdowns, while adding 68 receptions for 543 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Kamara will be 30 years old by the start of the 2025 season, and that’s why, in a Fox Sports mock draft, Henry McKenna predicts the Saints will trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, moving from No. 9 to No. 5 to select Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.

“New Saints coach Kellen Moore just came from an Eagles offense that changed after Saquon Barkley arrived,” McKenna wrote.  “Jeanty is the best running back prospect since Barkley. So it’s a perfect match.”

There’s no doubt that Jeanty is an extremely talented player, finishing runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting in 2024 after racking up 2,601 rushing yards (second-most in FBS history) and 29 touchdowns on 374 attempts.

Of course, there’s a belief he could immediately come in and be many teams’ top running back option, but that wouldn’t be necessary with the Saints as Kamara is under contract through the 2026 season as part of his two-year, $24.5 million extension.

That means if this scenario did become a reality and the Saints moved on from Kamara when that deal is up, Jeanty would still have three seasons, including the fifth-year option, left in his rookie contract with the team.

BREAKING: Shedeur Sanders makes final decision Over New Orleans Saints move

Will Shedeur Sanders end up with the Saints?

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr could potentially miss the entire 2025 season with a shoulder injury. This injury has turned up the urgency on the Saints to find a franchise quarterback in the NFL Draft.

Among all the quarterback prospects the Saints could pursue, Colorado signal caller Shedeur Sanders is the best option available. A lot of experts expect the Saints to select Sanders at pick No. 9 in the first round of the draft.

NFL Spinzone’s Lou Scataglia recently put together a mock draft for the NFL Draft. Scataglia predicted the Colorado signal caller would land with the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick No. 21 rather than with the Saints.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers being able to grab Shedeur Sanders at pick 21 would be the ideal scenario,” Scataglia wrote. “The biggest threat to the Steelers quest to take Sanders, if that is what they want, is a team leap-frogging them with a trade up to the 20th pick, for example. Well, that did not happen in this mock draft, as Steelers GM Omar Khan is able to stay put and take who they hope to be their franchise QB.”

In this mock draft, Scataglia has the Saints passing up on Sanders at pick No. 9. With him falling all the way to pick No. 21, the Saints could explore a trade up scenario in this situation.

Either way, missing out on Sanders would be quite a disaster for the Saints, but there’s almost no chance the Steelers would pass up on the superstar prospect.

“Everyone’s time comes to an end’ Former Saints LB Blast Derek Carr after shoulder injury news

The New Orleans Saints were thrown quite the curveball over the weekend when it was reported that Derek Carr’s 2025 season could be in jeopardy due to a shoulder injury he suffered. It’s worth noting that even before Carr’s injury came into play, the Saints were likely considering taking a quarterback in the first round.

That has led some fans to speculate if perhaps Carr simply didn’t want to play mentor and is saying he’s too injured so that he doesn’t have to be in that role this year or compete with the rookie signal-caller that gets drafted. Former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle touched on this in a recent social media post and unleashed on Carr.

“My two cents about Derek Carr shoulder injury news. If he’s pouting because the Saints are gonna look for a young QB in the draft he’s too thin skinned to be your quarterback and the guys in that locker room deserve better. A competitive person would say it’s time to play so well the young guy won’t touch the field anyways. Nothing is promised to anyone in the NFL. Everyone’s time comes to an end. Nobody is owed anything.
If really injured should be at facility and surrounded by surgery specialists today!
Mrs Benson didn’t pay you 40 million dollars a year to do car reviews on YouTube.

Tough times will always reveal a man’s character.”

Scott Shanle doesn’t hold back when voicing opinions on Derek Carr injury saga

Now it’s worth noting that we don’t know for certain what’s going on here. Saints fans are pretty fed up with Carr so jumping to the conclusion that he’s done with the team and doesn’t want to help mentor a young quarterback could be a result of that frustration. That being said, Shanle speaking up on the matter puts it more into focus and he didn’t mince words here.

The part that really jumped out at me here was “A competitive person would say it’s time to play so well the young guy won’t touch the field anyways” and that’s so true. These guys are crazy competitive and we’ve seen in the past how veteran quarterbacks play their tails off after their team drafts a guy to prove they’re not done yet. Shanle’s comment makes it sound as though Carr does not fall into that category. If Carr is truly injured, however, then playing is not an option for him.

This is just another chapter in the ‘Derek Carr was a bad signing’ book and hopefully soon, the Saints can move on from the situation. Maybe they’ll even find their franchise quarterback in this draft and can move on a lot faster.