NFL Insider Confirms Experienced Draft QB ‘In the Mix’ for Giants

The New York Giants plans for safeguarding their future at quarterback may not become apparent until Day 2 of the 2025 NFL draft, when an experienced prospect will be firmly “in the mix.”

That’s according to ESPN’s senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler. He told SportsCenter (h/t Bleacher Report’s Doric Sam) how Louisville’s Tyler Shough is generating significant interest from Big Blue.

Fowler reported, “So, this is a team, the Giants, that have been looking at their options where if they can’t go quarterback at No. 3, they want to try to get one Day 2 or maybe even move up. Shough appears to be in that mix.”

Sending Shough’s name to the podium with either the 34th-overall pick, or after a trade back into Round 1, would give the Giants a signal-caller with plenty of arm talent, but rough around the edges.

Giants Would Be Taking a Risk With Tyler Shough

One of the main concerns about Shough is his status as a senior member of this QB class. He’s 25, so presenting Shough as their quarterback of the future would be a tough sell for the Giants, particularly when veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston will be holding down the fort for at least this season.

Another issue for Shough is a lengthy injury history that prolonged his collegiate career. He dealt with a broken collarbone and broken leg while at Texas Tech.

To his credit, Shough did produce when he managed to stay on the field for Louisville in 2024. He threw for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns throughout a lone season with the Cardinals, per Sports Reference.

Many of those yards and scores came courtesy of a “clean, compact release that helps him to generate plenty of velocity on downfield throws,” according to Nick Akridge of Pro Football Focus.

The latter also credited Shough with being “able to throw the ball from multiple arm angles accurately and effectively. He can get rid of the ball in tight pockets and with defenders in his face. Shough is capable of side-arm throws on the run, too, continuing to show how versatile he is as a passer.”

Qualities like those are why Shough has been steadily generating buzz about his chances of rising up draft boards. The growing positivity was highlighted by ACC Football.

Shough has upside, but he also carries too many question marks for a Giants regime that must get its next QB addition right.

Giants Must Focus Draft QB Search

It’s little wonder the Giants have been casting a wide net in their search for the right quarterback in this draft. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have made too many missteps at football’s most important position already, most of them concerning former starter Daniel Jones.

Daboll and Schoen need to find a credible long-term answer, something neither 36-year-old Wilson, nor 31-year-old Winston is likely to provide. Shough is among the credible options for the Giants, but so is another unheralded prospect who threw for 4,700 yards last season.

Waiting until they’ve used the third-overall pick will mean the Giants avoid overreaching for Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. It will also mean Schoen has likely already taken one of the elite athletes in this class, Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter or Sanders’ college teammate, cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter, who can fit the Giants’ expansive plans.

Following a pick like that with a potential QB1 would be a win-win for Schoen, but he’d need to convince more than a few doubters Shough is the answer.