Overview
Position: Interior defensive lineman
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 315 pounds
School: Fort Hays State Tigers
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.09 seconds
Vertical jump: 31 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 4 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.50 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.53 seconds
Nathan Shepherd 2018 NFL Draft Profile
A native of Ajax, Ontario, Canada, Nathan Shepherd began his collegiate career at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. That program is notable for producing the highest number of players drafted by CFL teams. In his lone year with the Clan, Shepherd played nine games and registered 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. He came to the school having played linebacker in high school and weighing slightly over 200 pounds.
To say he bulked up since then would be quite the understatement. Shepherd transferred to Division II Fort Hays State in Kansas ahead of his sophomore year. In the three years since he’s morphed into a 300+ pound defensive tackle and a legitimate NFL prospect at the position. He started all 36 games for the Tigers during that span and improved his ability to make plays in the backfield each season. It culminated in him tallying four sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss as a senior en route to Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association defensive player of the year and D-II All-American honors.
Shepherd received a Senior Bowl invite and held his own in drills against players from more established programs. Though he broke his hand that week and was unable to play in the game, he healed up in time for the Combine and continued to impress scouts. Shepherd is looking to become just the third draftee out of Fort Hays State and the first since Frankie Neal went to the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1987 draft.
Strengths
- boasts the size and stature NFL teams look for in an interior defender;
- can pull and jerk around blockers with good, active hands;
- quickly disengages and attacks laterally to get to the ball;
- gives a jolting blow at the point of attack with plus explosiveness post-snap;
- bends and turns the corner under blocker’s hands fairly well;
- can get free from blockers with twists and counters;
- showed gradual year over year improvement over the course of his college career;
Weaknesses
- will face steep jump in competition at pro level from what he was used to in college;
- undersized arms could inhibit ability to establish contact leverage against big maulers;
- sacrifices some base leverage at times by playing too upright;
- can overpursue and subsequently miss opportunities to force negative plays;
- speed to power conversion a bit underwhelming in bull rush;
- doesn’t seem to have much of a plan when double-teamed;
- could be a few years away from making a noticeable on-field impact;
NFL Comparison: Larry Ogunjobi
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Washington Redskins
Projection: Third to fourth round
Bottom Line
Some teams might classify him as a developmental prospect based on his non-DI background. But Shepherd possesses a wide array of skills and physical traits that indicate he can hang in the pros. He looks the part of an NFL caliber defensive lineman and has the athleticism and initial quickness to turn the corner and beat blockers to the edge. What scouts have concerns over is his ability to convert speed to power which might preclude him from playing as a two-gap one-technique penetrator. His ideal fit might be as a three-technique defender in a 4-3 alignment or a five-tech in a 3-4. Though it may take time for him to see the field regularly, Shepherd will certainly compete in training camp as he did at the Senior Bowl. And a coaching staff able to harvest his untapped potential could be rewarded down the line.
