Nathan Shepherd
refer to caption
Shepherd in 2019
No. 93 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1993-10-09) October 9, 1993
Ajax, Ontario, Canada
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:Simon Fraser
Fort Hays State
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 3 / Pick: 72
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2023
Total tackles:151
Sacks:8.5
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

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

Early years

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 was no longer able to pay tuition. After leaving Simon Fraser, Shepherd spent time in various jobs including working in a plant nursery, electrical construction, and a cardboard box 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 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Defensive Player of the Year.[2] He was also invited to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl.[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft

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 videos
video icon Shepherd: journey to top DT prospect
video icon 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 videos
video icon Nathan Shepherd's NFL Combine Workout
video icon Nathan Shepherd runs 40-yard dash
video icon NFL Draft Profile: Nathan Shepherd
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad 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 s1.77 s2.94 s4.53 s7.50 s31 in
(0.79 m)		9 ft 4 in
(2.84 m)
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]

New York Jets

The New York Jets selected Shepherd in the third round (72nd overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] On May 14, 2018, the Jets signed Shepherd to a four-year, $3.87 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $987,724.[16]

External videos
video icon Jets draft Nathan Shepherd 72nd overall

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.[17] He was reinstated from suspension on October 29, 2019, and was activated on November 1, 2019.[18]

On March 16, 2022, Shepherd signed a one-year contract extension with the Jets.[19]

New Orleans Saints

On March 17, 2023, Shepherd signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the New Orleans Saints.[20]

Career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck
2018 NYJ 16 5 15 5 10 0.0
2019 NYJ 9 0 11 6 5 2.0
2020 NYJ 14 3 17 8 9 2.5
2021 NYJ 17 1 28 17 11 0.0
2022 NYJ 17 3 33 16 17 1.5
Career 73 12 104 52 52 6.0

References

  1. 1 2 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. ↑ "Nathan Shepherd Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". nfl.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Fort Hays State DT Nathan Shepherd : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  13. ↑ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Nathan Shepherd selected by Jets with 72nd pick in 2018 NFL Draft". GangGreenNation.com. April 27, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Football Database: Fort Hays State". FootballDB.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Nathan Shepherd contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Jets DT Shepherd banned 6, admits to using PED". ESPN.com. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  18. ↑ Greenberg, Ethan (November 1, 2019). "DL Nathan Shepherd Returns to Roster, Jets Place Trenton Cannon on IR". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  19. ↑ Greenberg, Ethan (March 16, 2022). "Jets Re-Sign DL Nathan Shepherd". NewYorkJets.com.
  20. ↑ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 17, 2023.
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