Draftees get crash course in being an NFL player at NFLPA Rookie Premiere

LOS ANGELES — Tyler Shough always wanted a Joe Montana jersey. Growing up in Chandler, Ariz., Shough eyed the legendary NFL quarterback’s No. 16 hanging over his uncle’s mantle. 

To his surprise, the New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback received a video message from Montana during a Fanatics branding photo shoot at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event over the weekend. Then he found a signed Montana jersey hiding underneath his seat.

"That was a surreal moment," Shough told FOX Sports. "I heard about it beforehand because I was in one of the later groups. They give you a jersey from someone in the league, and I was like, ‘That’s going to be sweet.’ 

"So I was expecting a current player or whoever. But then Joe Montana, oh my gosh." 

Shough was one of 42 players invited to the NFLPA’s Rookie Premiere this year. What started as a trading card photo shoot in 1994 has grown into the NFL Players Association hosting an annual event for the top marketable rookies, connecting them with business opportunities and partners created by the league’s union. 

The 2025 event included interactions with brand sponsors such as trading card company Panini America, Fanatics, Nike, EA Sports and EXOS training facility. Fanatics hosted a jersey reveal on the rooftop floor of the InterContinental hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The players also participated in a photo shoot in full uniform at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

To open the weekend, current and former NFL players — including Torry Holt, Sam Acho, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Equanimeous St. Brown and George Hegamin — mentored the rookies on the pitfalls to avoid entering the league and how to get the most out of their experience. Holt, a six-time Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist and