If your NFL favorite team needs a field marshal, you are in trouble.
The best options through free agency are not great. Many older boys (Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, probably Matthew Stafford, maybe Derek Carr), and some younger boys (Sam Darnings if the Vikings let him go, Justin Fields, Daniel Jones).
There is always the draft, but without even a perfect and polished perspective, there is fear in how many field marshals can be instant taxpayers.
Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders lead the list of field market prospects, but the race for a third type has been ongoing since January.
And with the NFL scouting combines about us, the field marshal who won the greatest buzz has been Tyler Shough in Louisville.
Who is Tyler Shough?
Tyler Shough (pronounced “Shuck”) was a four -star prospect for Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, according to 247 Sports … in 2018. That was the same class of recruitment as Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Recruited from some great time programs, including Cal, Arizona State and Alabama (Brian Daboll was one of those who recruited him for the tide), Shough chose Oregon even though he knew he would sit behind Justin Herbert for at least a couple of seasons.
In its second year in 2020, Shough began each game, but did not finish its last two, ending its short season with a loss of bowl game against Iowa State. With the opportunity to start for the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2021, and to be a little closer to home, Shough moved south and began every game that was healthy for more than three seasons. It is not that there were many of them; The injuries accumulated, but continued to extend their eligibility. After three years, he transferred once again to Louisville and finished his career with the career highs.
Despite the seven years of eligibility, Shough only exceeded 1,600 air yards and 14 touchdowns once, in 2024 with Louisville. Obviously, his injuries played a role since he played scarcely in 2021 and 2023. His averages per pace slipped while playing in Texas Tech and then advanced in Louisville, but his average attempt of aerial yards per pass was generally about 9.0, his TouchDown rate was at least 5.9% in all but a season, and his interception rate improved only 1.5% in only 1.5% Louisville. Shouch also saw his sack rate decrease last year.
These statistics may sound good, but compared to others in class, they are not.
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What statistics say
In 12 games last season, Shough completed 62.7% of its 389 passes for 3,195 yards (8.2 yards per attempt) with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. Of these numbers, the only one that was located in the Top 15 among the qualifiers of the Power-4 conference was its interceptions (seventh Fewest). His total yardage (16th), yards for attempt (17th) and touchdowns (20) were the best 20.
Compared to other known field marshal perspectives, including some types that compete to be the third quartback outside the board, Shough statistics do not look so hot.
2024 Statistics (best QB prospects)
| Player | Equipment | GRAM | Comp% | YDS | YD/ATT | TD | Intentionally | Offtgt% | Bag% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shedeur Sanders | Colorado | 13 | 74.0% | 4134 | 8.7 | 37 | 10 | 8.2% | 7.7% |
| Will Howard | Ohio state | 16 | 73.0% | 4010 | 9.5 | 35 | 10 | 9.0% | 3.6% |
| Jaxson Dart | Ole lady | 13 | 69.3% | 4279 | 10.8 | 29 | 6 | 10.3% | 6.6% |
| Shirt | Miami | 13 | 67.2% | 4313 | 9.5 | 39 | 7 | 13.9% | 4.8% |
| Kyle McCord | Syracuse | 13 | 66.0% | 4779 | 8.1 | 34 | 12 | 10.0% | 4.7% |
| Quinn Eweers | Texas | 14 | 65.8% | 3472 | 7.8 | 31 | 12 | 11.7% | 6.9% |
| Jalen Milroe | Alabama | 13 | 64.3% | 2844 | 8.9 | 16 | 11 | 16.0% | 6.7% |
| Tyler Shough | Louisville | 12 | 62.7% | 3195 | 8.2 | 23 | 6 | 11.8% | 3.5% |
It was a little better in the Red Zone, including 14 touchdowns in 45 attempts, which made it a TD rate of 31.1% that occupied the second best among the 8 best field prospects in Campo de Campo last season. But that was not enough to make it unbeatable near the final area, especially compared to their peers.
2024 Red zone statistics (best QB prospects)
| Player | Equipment | Comp% | YDS | YD/ATT | TD | TD% | Intentionally | Offtgt% | Bag% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaxson Dart | Ole lady | 73.5% | 244 | 5.0 | 9 | 18.4% | 0 | 4.1% | 2.0% |
| Shedeur Sanders | Colorado | 71.4% | 295 | 4.7 | 18 | 28.6% | 3 | 6.3% | 6.0% |
| Will Howard | Ohio state | 66.0% | 277 | 5.5 | 19 | 38.0% | 2 | 16.0% | 3.8% |
| Kyle McCord | Syracuse | 58.4% | 394 | 4.4 | 23 | 25.8% | 1 | 12.4% | 5.3% |
| Quinn Eweers | Teas | 58.0% | 261 | 3.8 | 18 | 26.1% | 1 | 15.9% | 5.5% |
| Tyler Shough | Louisville | 57.8% | 180 | 4.0 | 14 | 31.1% | 1 | 13.3% | 4.3% |
| Shirt | Miami | 56.5% | 328 | 4.8 | 21 | 30.4% | 1 | 11.6% | 2.8% |
| Jalen Milroe | Alabama | 48.3% | 101 | 3.5 | 4 | 13.8% | 3 | 17.2% | 3.3% |
And to be thorough, Shrouch was possibly the worst among his 8 companions in the launches of more than 20 air yards, classifying the last or next deep release in the completion rate, total yards, touchdowns, interception rate and yards for attempt.
2024 deep passing statistics (better QB perspectives)
| Player | Equipment | GRAM | Comp% | YDS | YD/ATT | TD | TD% | Intentionally | Offtgt% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Howard | Ohio state | 15 | 57.4% | 930 | 19.8 | 8 | 17.0% | 2 | 14.9% |
| Kyle McCord | Syracuse | 13 | 52.6% | 1273 | 16.3 | 9 | 11.5% | 3 | 19.2% |
| Shedeur Sanders | Colorado | 13 | 45.3% | 1184 | 15.8 | 14 | 18.7% | 1 | 24.0% |
| Shirt | Miami | 13 | 45.3% | 1148 | 15.3 | 14 | 18.7% | 0 | 36.0% |
| Jaxson Dart | Ole lady | 13 | 42.0% | 1517 | 17.2 | 17 | 19.3% | 4 | 23.9% |
| Jalen Milroe | Alabama | 13 | 39.3% | 892 | 15.9 | 10 | 17.9% | 3 | 32.1% |
| Quinn Eweers | Texas | 14 | 38.2% | 637 | 11.6 | 9 | 16.4% | 2 | 32.7% |
| Tyler Shough | Louisville | 12 | 36.7% | 859 | 14.3 | 7 | 11.7% | 3 | 30.0% |
What the movie says
Shough’s attractiveness to NFL coaches is definitely in its details. No one will argue that it is a finished product, but it could have fewer questions than the other field seafood perspectives not around in this class.
It has 6 feet 5 and 224 pounds, it has a clean feet game, it has enough arm resistance with good speed, it is not afraid of tight window and low percentage window and can maneuver inside and out of a pocket. Some consider it a gun, which is a double -edged sword because that can lead to mishaps and touchdowns.
He has work to do as an anticipatory pitcher and was inconsistent launching with pressure on his face, which are quite worrying since he has been in the university game for seven years. And the strength of his arm will not help him win any Pro Bowl games for the longest releases.
What his body says
Three separate lesions, each in Texas Tech, are considerable red flags for Shough. The three involved him running: he broke the left clavicle in 2021 in an immersion in the scoring area, his shoulder injured again and six games were lost in 2022 when his left shoulder was taken to the ground in a race, and then fractured his left fibula in 2023 when he turned it around, he ran his ball with a fight game. For his credit, he tried to remain in the game three times, but finally yielded.
NFL teams may not matter so much. After all, last year Michael Penix Jr. broke his ACL twice while he was in college and was still a selection among the 10 best. But what they could realize is that Shough is the most appropriate to remain in the pocket and not assume any designed race. Louisville did exactly that last year and survived the season.
The other problem is Shough’s age. Born on September 28, 1999, Shough will turn 26 during his rookie season. Each other Top 8 prospect is at least two years younger, and each 2024 rookie field marshal is at least about a younger year.
What his combination says
Shough will have the opportunity to evaluate his body by team doctors and his air game evaluated by Scouts. If there is any negative aspect in any of them, the exaggeration that surrounds Shough will stop and will be a selection of day 3 as a alternate field marshal.
But if Shouch shines in training and has a clean health list, desperate teams could consider it as an alternative to start at some point in the next two seasons, even with their defects. Coaches tend to gravitate towards players’ strengths and assume that they can improve their weaknesses. That could be the case if a team decides that the risk of injuries and Shough’s age are not great offers.
A reminder: the Titans, Browns, Gigantes, Raiders, Jets and Steelers stand out as teams ready to make a change in Quarterback, and the Saints, Seahawks and Dolphins could want a younger talent to prepare an acquisition in 2026.
For these nine teams, Shough would be a low cost option and day 2. In this field of field marshal available, that might seem terribly attractive.
