Louisville's Quincy Riley, Tyler Shough Stand Out in Week of Senior Bowl Practice

The players were two of the Cardinals' top players from the 2024 season.

Aug 31, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive back Quincy Riley (3) watches during warmups before facing off against the Austin Peay Governors at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2025 NFL Draft might still be three months away, but preparations towards the events are already well underway. One of the first step of the pre-draft process is the Reese's Senior Bowl - an annual all-star exhibition that allows some of the top upperclassmen in college football to put their talents on display in front of NFL scouts and front office personnel.

Two members of the Louisville football program that declared for the NFL Draft, cornerback Quincy Riley and quarterback Tyler Shough, accepted invites to participate in the Senior Bowl. So far in the week of practice leading up to the games, which is set for Feb. 1, 2025 from Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala., the two now former Cardinals have been taking full advantage of the exposure to NFL front offices.

During the second of three days of practice on Wednesday, both Riley and Shough turned heads. Riley was named a day two standout by PFF, while ESPN wrote that Shough had the best performance by a quarterback that day.

"Riley made his presence felt with two pass breakups and nearly came away with an interception," PFF's Trevor Sikkema wrote. "He stayed in phase all day in man coverage, showcasing the aggressive mentality that defines his game. With the Senior Bowl often emphasizing one-on-one coverage reps, Riley found himself right at home.

"Shough was making throws with zip, timing and touch throughout the National team's morning practice," ESPN's Matt Miller wrote. "He can spin the ball to every level of the field and shows mobility that teams will love. I still have Shough as a Day 3 quarterback, but performances like Wednesday could prompt some teams to fall in love."

While Riley got off to a slow start to his 2024 campaign and was hampered by an ankle injury, he was still one of the best defensive backs in the ACC. Playing in 10 games while starting eight, the 6-foot-0, 195-pound corner led the ACC in pass break ups with 13, while collecting 33 tackles (21 solo), three for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

The Columbia, S.C native's best season in college came in 2023. He finished the year with a team-best 12 pass breakups, and was second on the Cardinals in interceptions with three, leading the ACC with 15 pass defenses. He also collected 49 tackles and 1.5 for loss.

In 555 career games between three seasons at Louisville and three seasons at Middle Tennessee where he started his collegiate career, Riley collected 159 tackles (112 solo), 12 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 15 interceptions, 40 pass break ups and a forced fumble.

Coming over from Texas Tech to play his final year of collegiate eligibility, Shough was able to play a full healthy season for the first time in his career, and it paid off massive dividends. Starting all 12 regular season games, Shough completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound signal caller was the 13th quarterback in school history to throw for 3,000 yards in a single season, most recently accomplished by Jack Plummer last year.

Shough spent the previous three seasons of his collegiate career at Texas Tech, but was unable to play a full season each year, and spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career with Oregon. In 26 career games, he has completed 63.2 percent of his throws for 4,625 yards and 36 touchdowns to 17 interceptions, along with 714 yards and 10 scores on the ground. 

(Photo of Quincy Riley: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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