GREEN BAY, Wis. — There was only one quarterback taken in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday, and it wasn’t Shedeur Sanders.
While Sanders’ draft stock continued to plummet, the New Orleans Saints took Louisville’s Tyler Shough at No. 40 overall. The 25-year-old Shough, whose career has been plagued by injuries, spent seven seasons in college. He played three years at Oregon, then three at Texas Tech.
Shough stayed healthy with the Cardinals last season, passing for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns with six interceptions.
“I’ve obviously been around and seen a lot of ball and started a lot of games, but getting a full season and being able to showcase what I can do was my main goal,” Shough said, after he was drafted, of the opportunity at Louisville.
Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder injury and his status is uncertain. Backup Spencer Rattler threw for 1,317 yards last season in seven games but went 0-6 as a starter.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward was first overall pick by the Tennessee Titans and Old Miss QB Jaxson Dart was the only other signal-caller selected in the first round, going to the New York Giants at No. 25.
Defensive linemen were the focal point in the second round, with nine taken. There also were five defensive backs and five offensive linemen selected. Three running backs were taken, including Ohio State’s national championship tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.
The Cleveland Browns had two of the first five picks in the second round. They moved to further bolster their defense, taking UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger with the first pick of the second round after selecting Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick on Thursday.
Judkins was the first running back taken in the second round, going to Cleveland at No. 36. Judkins ran for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns last season after transferring from Ole Miss.
Henderson was tabbed two picks later by the New England Patriots. He ran for 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns in his four seasons with the Buckeyes, and he also had 77 receptions.
Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins was the second pick in the second round, chosen by the Houston Texans. Higgins had 87 receptions for 1,183 yards with nine touchdowns last season.
The Chicago Bears tabbed Missouri’s Luther Burden III at No. 39. Burden was considered a possible first-round pick after his junior season in 2023, when he had 86 catches for 1,212 yards, but his numbers dropped to 61 receptions for 676 yards last year.
The other two wideouts taken in the second round: Ole Miss’s Tre Harris went to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 55, and TCU’s Jake Bech was chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 58.
LSU tight end Mason Taylor, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, was taken with the 42nd pick by the New York Jets.
–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media
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