The Tennessee Titans made quarterback Cam Ward the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in April.
Tyler Shough had to wait until the second round and the 40th overall pick before the New Orleans Saints made him the third quarterback drafted. In between, the New York Giants used the 25th pick to grab Jaxson Dart.
The gap between the performances of Ward and Shough as rookies hasn’t been nearly as big as the one at the draft. Come Sunday, they’ll be closer than ever as they face off as professionals for the first time when the Saints visit the Titans in Nashville.
Ward has been the Titans’ starter from Day 1 — from a 1-11 record through November to a 2-1 December that has showcased development by the player and his team.
Shough was beaten out by second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler in a close competition during training camp. The Saints (5-10) lost seven of their eight games before Shough replaced Rattler as the starter. New Orleans has gone 4-3 behind Shough and built a three-game winning streak.
It was common knowledge long before the draft that Ward was going to be the top pick, but Shough’s prospects were far less certain. He was unusually old (25) for a draft prospect and started 32 of the 42 games he played in during a seven-year collegiate career split between three schools.
“My whole thought process (leading up to the draft),” Shough said, “was I’m going to have fun throughout it and be myself, show what I can do and just go from there. I think everything will take care of itself.
“I think you can’t really get caught up in all the pre-draft rankings. It all changes. (The teams’) job is to evaluate and your job is to go out there, perform and execute.”
Shough has completed 66.4% of his passes for 1,792 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating is 86.5.
Ward has completed 60.2% of his passes for a franchise rookie record 2,866 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His passer rating is 79.1, but he delivered his first 100-plus ratings in the last two games, including a season-best 122.3 in Sunday’s 26-9 victory against Kansas City. He has authored his only two-touchdown passing efforts in each of the last three games.
“I’ve just got to be consistent,” Ward said. “I’ve got to do what I need to do to win football games, put my teammates in a good situation to help them and really just keep playing clean football on offense like we’ve been doing.”
Ward was the headliner in a rookie class that leads a youth movement in Tennessee. But wide receiver Chimere Dike, a fourth-round pick, has set himself apart by leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (151.3 per game) to earn a starting spot in the Pro Bowl.
“You get to see what guys can do early,” Ward said of the Titans giving playing time to rookies right away. “You get a sense of their first year, what they’re really good at, and what we also got to work on.”
One rookie who won’t contribute during the last two games is cornerback Marcus Harris, the sixth-round pick who interim head coach Mike McCoy said will not play again this season because of a knee injury suffered against the Chiefs. Harris was the only Titan to miss practice Wednesday.
Three Saints starters — running back Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle), guard Cesar Ruiz (ankle) and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (knee) — did not practice Wednesday. New Orleans coach Kellen Moore has declared Bresee won’t play against the Titans.
