Former Hamilton QB Shough sees stock rise ahead of NFL Draft

CHANDLER, Ariz.

The NFL Draft jingle is just a few days away, and it's music to the ears of a local product.

Tyler Shough even shocked himself.

He didn't expect to be shooting up draft boards.

"This wasn't even close to being in the cards the year before," Shough said.

Now that he's here though, the confidence is growing.

"I'm the most ready-to-play and experienced guy in the draft.

(I have) all the physical tools and then the mental processing capabilities to go out and operate any offense," he added.

Shough has had a lot of time to practice his stump speech.

He played seven years of college football for three different teams (Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville) and turns 26 years old in September.

Numbers like those used to scare away NFL teams.

Today, however, it can be an advantage.

"They view it as a strength more than it is a negative just because you go through a lot of the things that younger rookies go through at 21, 22 (years old) and they're growing pains and I've already kind of had those," he said.

Shough also had to shake off a series of literal pains.

He broke his collarbone in 2021 and 2022 and broke his fibula in 2023.

He thought about quitting football.

Instead, his super senior season at Louisville sent his stock skyrocketing.

"It gave me a lot of confidence and it kind of lit a fire in me to go out there and keep striving and keep getting better and keep persisting," Shough said.

The embers of that fire are felt in Chandler at Shough's old stomping grounds.

"I'm biased.

Of course he's the best quarterback in this draft," Shough's former high school coach and current Hamilton assistant principal Dick Baniszewski said, adding that Shough has been persevering since he was a teenager.

"It didn't matter the obstacle, he still had his eye on the finish line," he said.

Shough's time at Hamilton coincided with a football hazing scandal that rocked the school.

Tyler was not involved in it, but as the varsity quarterback, he had to speak about it.

"It sucked, but we had to continue forward, move on and how do we get better?" Shough said.

He was forced to grow up quickly and Baniszewski said he took the challenge.

"Having a kid with that much maturity made that transition for everybody that much easier," he said.

More than eight years later, those lessons have stuck with Shough.

"It really foreshadowed a lot of what I went through in my college career.

A lot of stuff that you can't really control," he said.

Shough has embraced his journey, refused to become jaded and continued to play with unwavering joy.

"I think a lot of the teams have just appreciated the candidness," he said.

The 2025 NFL Draft opens on Thursday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The Tennessee Titans will go on the clock at 5 p.m.

Arizona time.

Rounds two and three will be on Friday and rounds four, five, six and seven will be on Saturday.

>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.

Arizona sports The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBAs Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury.

The Indoor Football Leagues Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.

Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.

The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tours highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.

12Sports on YouTube Get the latest news and stories from 12Sports on the 12News YouTube channel.

And don't forget to subscribe!.

This article has been shared from the original article on a12news, here is the link to the original article.