NFL Draft film room: Tyler Shough arm talent galore

The Louisville product is a ‘can make all the throws’ type of quarterback

Tyler Shough’s college career took plenty of twists and turns, which is likely why he slipped through the cracks of the initial NFL Draft process. He originally was Justin Herbert’s backup at Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech and then Louisville this past season.

Shough spent three seasons with both the Ducks and Red Raiders and didn’t generate much buzz at either spot. However, he broke through during his seventh collegiate season, throwing for 3,191 yards and 23 touchdowns to six interceptions with the Cardinals last fall. Also, the 25-year-old quarterback turned heads at the Senior Bowl to land on the Las Vegas Raiders’ radar.

So, let’s take a look at what the Louisville product could bring to Las Vegas as he has plenty of arm talent.

One of the first things that stands out about Shough on film is his arm strength. Not only can he push the ball down the field and throw deep but he can also do so while throwing from one side of the field to the other. In other words, he can simultaneously stretch defenses vertically and horizontally.

In the first clip above against Notre Dame, Louisville’s outside receiver gets about a step on the cornerback on the go route and ends up on the outside of the numbers. Meanwhile, Shough is on the far hash and drops the ball right in the bucket to hit the receiver for a 24-yard touchdown via a perfect throw.

Building on the previous section, Shough also throws with some impressive velocity when targeting the short to intermediate areas of the field. That can help him beat coverage and fit the ball into tight windows. While the pass was dropped, the second throw above highlights the latter.

Shough also shows some eye manipulation on that play by initially staring at the middle of the field. That keeps the middle linebacker on the hashmark and helps widen the window for the slant route. Then, he throws a dart to hit the receiver right in the chest, the wideout just gets some alligator arms and doesn’t haul in the pass.

Also, the next play shows off the former Cardinal’s ability to throw the ball across the field. Louisville ran a lot of those half-rollouts which gets the defense flowing with the quarterback. The reason they were able to have that in the playbook is Shough has the arm talent to take advantage and hit receivers from hash mark to hash mark or even wider.

This is tied to his arm talent, again. Shough is one of the better quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class when it comes to throwing on the run. He can make throws without having his feet set, throw from multiple arm angles and has the strength to push the ball down the field on the run.

In the first clip above against Notre Dame, nothing is open initially and the defensive line starts to break through with some pressure. So, the quarterback buys time and sees the open receiver in the back of the endzone on the scramble drill.

With the pressure coming, Shough gets his feet and hips in the proper position and lets it rip with a sidearm release while taking a hit right in the chops. The ball can’t be much better as the wideout comes down with it for six.

Finally, Shough flashes the ability to make quality throws when the pocket starts collapsing. In the first clip above, Louisville runs a double move with the outside receiver on a stop-and-go seam route. That means the quarterback has to be patient in the pocket and let the play develop.

So, Shough pump fakes the curl route to help sell the double move and get the defense to bite. Meanwhile, the right tackle gets caught off-guard by the defensive line’s stunt and starts getting walked back into the quarterback. But Shough stays calm under pressure and hits the receiver for an explosive play down the field.

Especially for an older quarterback prospect who spent so much time in college, Shough’s ability to see the field consistently was frustrating. He would often miss opportunities to hit open receivers for big gains against zone coverage and was quick to check the ball down. Also, he has a habit of just throwing balls up and into coverage down the field.

However, the Louisville product’s arm talent is worthy of entering the QB3 discussion and should be on the Raiders’ radar during Day 2 of the draft. Additionally, while not shown above, he has some athleticism to make occasional plays with his legs and fit into Chip Kelly’s offense.