The New York Giants plan to leave no stone unturned in their search for a franchise quarterback this offseason. While there are a couple of quarterback prospects for the Giants to consider selecting with the No. 3 overall pick, general manager Joe Schoen made sure to point out that there are “other quarterbacks” in the draft class outside of Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
If, for whatever reason, the Giants pass on a quarterback with the third-overall pick, they could plan to address the position later in the draft. Trading for a Matthew Stafford would make drafting a quarterback early less essential, which could prompt the Giants to take the best player available at No. 3 overall and add a young quarterback on Day 2 or Day 3.
Could the Giants target Louisville QB Tyler Shough?
Louisville QB Tyler Shough has been surging up draft boards in the weeks leading up to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. The former 2018 four-star recruit has taken a unique and winding path to get to the NFL Draft.
Shough has had a unique path to the draft
Shough was recruited from big-name programs such as Cal, Arizona State, and Alabama (now-Giants head coach Brian Daboll was among those who helped try to recruit Shough to Alabama, as Dave Richard of CBS Sports noted) back in 2018. However, he ultimately committed to Oregon where he planned to sit behind QB Justin Herbert for a few seasons before eventually becoming the starter.
He took over that starting job for Oregon in the COVID-shortened 2020 season but transferred to Texas Tech in 2021 to be closer to home. Shough stayed with Texas Tech for three seasons but started only 15 games as injuries consistently kept him off the field. In 2024, Shough transferred to Louisville, where he finished his seventh season of eligibility.
As the Louisville starter, Shough totaled 3,195 passing yards with a 23-6 TD-INT ratio. Seven years later, Shough has finally entered the NFL Draft. Injuries and a global pandemic extended his collegiate eligibility and lengthened his collegiate career to an extreme.
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The Giants could take Shough as a late-round flier
All this time later, Shough is finally in the NFL Draft. However, as a top-recruit in 2018, there were once first-round expectations for Shough. Now he is likely a Day 3 pick. But that could make him an interesting target for the Giants to throw a dart at and hope for the best.
The 6-foot-5, 224-pound quarterback could be an interesting flier for teams to target in the later rounds of the draft. He was viewed as an elite talent in high school, but injuries derailed what could have been a promising collegiate career. Perhaps in the right situation, Shough could tap back into that potential and develop into a capable player.
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There is plenty to like on Shough’s film. He has clean passing mechanics and footwork and demonstrates an ability to lend his strong arm into making tight-window throws with tremendous velocity and accuracy. However, considering how little experience he has — especially for a prospect who spent seven years in college — Shough might be more of a project than the Giants are willing to take on at this point.
However, if they do land Stafford, or another veteran who could start for several seasons, the Giants might want to welcome in a long-term project. Shough was a top-performer at the 2025 Senior Bowl, helping elevate his draft stock in the weeks leading up to the Combine. Schoen and the Giants’ front office were present at the Senior Bowl and reportedly did a lot of work on the quarterbacks in attendance. Perhaps Shough caught Schoen’s eye and could be moving up the Giants’ draft board.
