Saints select Tyler Shough with No. 40 pick in NFL draft - ESPN

The New Orleans Saints drafted their potential franchise quarterback in the second round of the NFL draft.

And it wasn't Shedeur Sanders.

The Saints bypassed Sanders for the second time in as many nights Friday night, selecting Louisville's Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick.

Shough could be a potential replacement for Derek Carr, whose future with the Saints is uncertain. New Orleans had the ninth overall pick in Thursday's first round, but passed on available quarterbacks — including Sanders — to select offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr.

Shough was the third quarterback selected in this year's draft after Cam Ward (No. 1) and Jaxson Dart (No. 25), while Sanders remained available after being widely projected as a first-round pick earlier in the predraft process.

The selection of Shough means the Saints could be looking to a future beyond Carr, who was signed as a free agent under then-coach Dennis Allen in 2023. Carr's future came into question after coach Kellen Moore appeared to be non-committal about him as a starter in his opening press conference in February.

Moore later backed Carr during multiple offseason interviews in the following month, and the Saints restructured his contract that essentially tied Carr to them for at least one more season.

However, Carr was open to exploring his other options before the restructure. Carr also has a shoulder injury that was not made public until the weekend before the team's report date for offseason workouts.

Shough, who will turn 26 in September, is the oldest quarterback in this year's draft class. He played seven seasons of college football, beginning in 2018 at Oregon, where he started seven games in the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020.

Shough then transferred to