Nathan Shepherd (American football)

Nathan Daniel Shepherd (born October 9, 1993) is a Canadian professional American football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fort Hays State and Simon Fraser.

Nathan Shepherd
Shepherd in 2019
No. 97 – New York Jets
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1993-10-09) October 9, 1993
Ajax, Ontario
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate
(Ajax, Ontario, Canada)
College:Fort Hays State
Simon Fraser
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 3 / Pick: 72
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020
Total tackles:43
Sacks:3.5
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:0
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Shepherd grew up in Ajax, Ontario, where he played youth football with the Ajax/Pickering Dolphins Football Club.[1]

College career

At Simon Fraser University, Shepherd redshirted his first year and was able to start every game his second year as a defensive end. He left the university after a total of two years, as he wasn't able to pay tuition. After leaving Simon Fraser, Shepherd spent time at working various jobs including at a plant nursery, electrical construction, and a boxing factory. Fort Hays State University later reached out to Shepherd, and Shepherd was able to pay his first semester of tuition before being put on athletic scholarship.[1] After his 2017 season, Shepherd was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.[2] He was also invited to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl.[3]

Professional career

On November 20, 2017, it was announced that Shepherd had accepted his invitation to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl.[4] He became the first player from Fort Hays State to receive an invitation to the Senior Bowl. Shepherd was productive during Senior Bowl practices and had his draft stock rise significantly after displaying speed, power, and technique while going up against the top offensive linemen in the nation.[5] Shepherd unfortunately suffered a broken hand during Senior Bowl practice and was unable to participate in the official game.[6]

External video
Shepherd: journey to top DT prospect
Shepherd suffers hand injury at Senior Bowl
“NFL body, NFL movement skills. I’ve had a couple NFL people tell me that he’s actually bigger than Malik Jackson, but offers that kind of versatility of inside-outside. He’s a powerful man and very raw. A guy that could affect quarterbacks and the run game”[7]

–Mike Mayock

Shepherd attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the bench press due to his fractured hand. His performance continued to raise his draft stock and garnered him attention throughout the draft process. On March 12, 2018, Shepherd held a pro day at Fort Hays State, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills for the scouts and team representatives from 16 NFL teams that attended. Shepherd attended ten private meetings with team and also performed at private workouts for multiple teams, that included the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Houston Texans.[8][9] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Shepherd was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the sixth best defensive tackle prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and Scouts Inc.[10]

External video
Nathan Shepherd's NFL Combine Workout
Nathan Shepherd runs 40-yard dash
NFL Draft Profile: Nathan Shepherd
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 3 3⁄4 in
(1.92 m)		 315 lb
(143 kg)		 32 3⁄8 in
(0.82 m)		 10 1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 5.09 s 1.77 s 2.94 s 4.53 s 7.50 s 31 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 4 in
(2.84 m)
All values from NFL Draft[11][12]

The New York Jets selected Shepherd in the third round (72nd overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft. Shepherd was the sixth defensive tackle drafted in 2018 and became only the third player to be drafted in the history of Fort Hays State.[13] He became the first player to be drafted from Fort Hays State since Frankie Neal was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round (71st overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft.[14]

External video
Jets draft Nathan Shepherd 72nd overall

On May 14, 2018, the New York Jets signed Shepherd to a four-year, $3.87 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $987,724.[15]

Shepherd was suspended for six games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy on September 10, 2019. It was revealed that Shepherd underwent a sports hernia surgery in the off-season plus battling a shoulder issue and a herniated disc in his back. Shepherd confessed about using the PEDs in an effort to speed up his recovery, which eventually led to his suspension.[16] He was reinstated from suspension on October 29, 2019, and was activated on November 1, 2019.[17]

References
  1. Kryk, John (March 4, 2018). "Canadian Nathan Shepherd's incredible seven-year journey to the NFL". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  2. "FHSU cleans up in the All-MIAA football awards". KWCH. November 14, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  3. "Nathan Shepherd selected to play in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl". Hays Post. November 13, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  4. "Prospects that have accepted invites to 2018 Senior Bowl". NFL.com. November 20, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  5. Dumler, Carl (January 24, 2018). "NFL Long Shot Nathan Shepherd Turning Heads At The Senior Bowl". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  6. Melo, Justin (April 17, 2018). "Meet Nathan Shepherd, the DL prospect who wrecked small-school doubts". draftwire.usatoday.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  7. "Canadian Nathan Shepherd rockets up draft boards with strong performance at NFL combine". 3downnation.com. March 5, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  8. "NFL draft guru Mike Mayock impressed with Canadian Nathan Shepherd". barrietoday.com. April 20, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  9. Risdon, Jeff (March 26, 2018). "Texans to have private workout with Fort Hays State DT Nathan Shepherd". texanswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  10. "Nathan Shepherd, DS #6 DT, Fort Hays State". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  11. "NFL Draft Prospect Profile - Nathan Shepherd". nfl.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  12. "Fort Hays State DT Nathan Shepherd : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  13. "Nathan Shepherd selected by Jets with 72nd pick in 2018 NFL Draft". GangGreenNation.com. April 27, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  14. "The Football Database: Fort Hays State". FootballDB.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  15. "Spotrac.com: Nathan Shepherd contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  16. "Jets DT Shepherd banned 6, admits to using PED". ESPN.com. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  17. Greenberg, Ethan (November 1, 2019). "DL Nathan Shepherd Returns to Roster, Jets Place Trenton Cannon on IR". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
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