Tyler Shough Has Chosen His Favorite Draft Signing This Year—And It’s Not a Quarterback
By JORDAN MAYS
NFL Insider
April 29, 2026
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When Tyler Shough arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine three years ago, he was a medical mystery wrapped in a cannon arm. Now, as the undisputed starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, Shough has earned something he rarely had in college: a say in the roster.
And this week, after the Cardinals wrapped up the 2026 NFL Draft, Shough did something unusual. He went public with his favorite pick—not the team’s first-round wide receiver, not the third-round running back, but a sixth-round safety from Oregon State named Jalen “Spider” Monroe.
“He’s my favorite signing of this draft class,” Shough told reporters Monday at the Cardinals’ training facility. “And I don’t say that lightly.”
It was a surprising admission. But for those who have followed Shough’s winding football journey—from Oregon to Texas Tech to Louisville, from injury rehab to Heisman finalist to first-round pick in 2025—the choice made perfect sense.
The Pick That Nobody Saw Coming
The Cardinals selected Monroe with the 198th overall pick. He was projected by most draft analysts to go undrafted. At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, he doesn’t have elite size. His 4.58-second 40-yard dash is solid but not spectacular. What he does have, Shough insists, is something you can’t teach: anticipation.
“I’ve thrown against him in off-season workouts in Arizona for the last two years,” Shough said. “Jalen has this weird ability to know where the ball is going before you release it. Not off film—off feel. He baits quarterbacks. Then he punishes them.”
Monroe, 23, spent two seasons as a rotational safety at Oregon State after transferring from Nevada. He finished his college career with nine interceptions, six pass breakups, and a reputation as a film junkie. But it was a private workout in Scottsdale last March that convinced Shough the Cardinals should take a late-round flier.
“I threw a deep out route—NFL throw, 15 yards, opposite hash,” Shough recalled. “He was supposed to be in Cover 2. He wasn’t there. He was already breaking on the under route that wasn’t even the primary. I had to pull the ball down. I’ve only done that against two other safeties in my career. One is Minkah Fitzpatrick.”
A Quarterback’s Trust, Forged in Pain
Shough’s endorsement carries weight in Arizona’s front office. After four injury-marred seasons in college—including a broken collarbone and a fractured fibula—Shough was viewed as a high-risk, high-reward prospect. The Cardinals took him 26th overall in 2025, and he rewarded them with 3,900 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and a playoff appearance as a rookie.
But the trust between Shough and general manager Monti Ossenfort runs deeper than statistics. Shough has become known around the league for his obsessive study of defensive backs. He keeps a personal notebook on every safety and nickel corner he faces. Monroe earned an entry after a flag football game in 2024.
“That’s not hyperbole,” said former Louisville teammate and current Cardinals tight end Marshon Ford. “Tyler has a list. He calls it the ‘Jump List.’ It’s DBs who can jump routes without tipping it. Jalen was on that list before he was ever drafted. That never happens.”
Monroe, quiet and soft-spoken in his first media availability, said he was stunned when Shough’s comments went viral.
“I just try to see what the quarterback sees,” Monroe said. “For Tyler to say that… it means a lot. He’s one of the most prepared quarterbacks I’ve ever faced. If I can trick him, I can trick anybody.”
Why a Safety Became the Face of This Draft Class
The Cardinals’ 2026 draft class includes seven players. The headliner is LSU wide receiver Kylon Brass, taken 12th overall, who is expected to start opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. The second-most-heralded pick is Miami running back Deon Riggins, a third-rounder who rushed for 1,400 yards last season.
But Shough bypassed both when asked about his favorite new teammate.
“Brass is a monster. Riggins is going to be a problem for defenses,” Shough said. “But Jalen? He’s different. He makes me better. He makes the whole secondary better because they have to keep up with his brain.”
Arizona’s defense ranked 22nd in interceptions last season, with just nine picks. Head coach Jonathan Gannon, a defensive-minded coach, has emphasized creating more turnovers in 2026. Monroe’s ball skills—nine career interceptions on 43 targets in college, according to Pro Football Focus—address that need.
“The quarterback is the most important person in the building,” Gannon said Tuesday. “When he points to a sixth-rounder and says, ‘That guy scares me,’ you listen. You listen hard.”
The Bigger Picture: Shough’s Evolution as a Leader
Shough’s public endorsement of a late-round safety is also a window into his maturity. At 27 years old, he is no longer the five-star recruit who lost the starting job at Oregon to Anthony Brown. He is no longer the injury-prone gunslinger who watched the 2023 draft from a hospital bed after breaking his leg at Louisville.
He is, by all accounts, a different kind of quarterback now. One who values anticipation over arm strength. One who understands that a great defense makes a good quarterback great.
“I used to think my favorite draft pick would be a left tackle or a 6-foot-5 receiver,” Shough said. “Now? Give me a safety who studies me like I study him. That’s a weapon.”
NFL analyst and former safety Ryan Clark weighed in on Shough’s comments during ESPN’s NFL Live.
“That’s a grown-man quarterback right there,” Clark said. “Rookies usually name their favorite pass catcher. Shough named a sixth-round safety who might not even start. That tells you how he sees the game. He’s not just managing an offense. He’s building a defense in practice.”
What Monroe Brings to the Field
Monroe’s college tape is unconventional. He played a hybrid “spur” position at Oregon State, often lining up in the box or over the slot. He allowed only one touchdown as the primary defender in coverage last season, according to PFF. His weakness is straight-line speed, but his three-cone drill (6.78 seconds) ranked in the 92nd percentile among safeties at the Combine.
“He’s not going to run with Tyreek Hill,” said one NFC scout who requested anonymity. “But he’ll know where Hill is going before Hill does. That’s rare.”
In Arizona’s defensive scheme, Monroe is expected to compete for the nickel safety role, a position that requires diagnosing run-pass options and matching tight ends. Veteran Jalen Thompson currently holds the job, but Gannon noted that Monroe “has a chance to push for snaps immediately.”
Shough went further.
“By Week 6, he’s starting,” Shough said. “I don’t care who’s in front of him. That’s not me being a hype man. That’s me being a quarterback who doesn’t want to throw anywhere near him.”
A Calculated Risk That Could Pay Off
The Cardinals entered the 2026 draft with modest expectations. They had no second-round pick (traded in a deal for cornerback Patrick Surtain II) and only one pick in the top 100. Many analysts graded their class as average. But Shough’s endorsement has shifted the narrative.
“When your franchise quarterback personally vouches for a Day 3 pick, that pick becomes more valuable,” said The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. “Not just on the field. In the locker room. In the building. Monroe walked in with instant credibility because the most important player on the team already respects him.”
Monroe, for his part, seems unfazed by the attention. After signing his four-year rookie contract—worth $4.1 million with a $186,000 signing bonus—he drove to Shough’s home in Paradise Valley to watch film.
“He asked me to show him my tells,” Monroe said. “He said, ‘If you’re going to bait me, I need to know how you do it.’ I said, ‘That’s the thing. I can’t tell you. You have to figure it out.’”
Shough laughed when retelling the story.
“That’s why he’s my favorite,” the quarterback said. “He already won.”
