 Shepherd with the New York Jets in 2019 | |||||||
| No. 93 –New Orleans Saints | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1993-10-09)October 9, 1993 (age 31) 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 (2012) Fort Hays State (2015–2017) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018: 3rd round, 72nd pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||
| |||||||
Nathan Daniel Shepherd (born October 9, 1993) is a Canadian professionalAmerican footballdefensive tackle for theNew Orleans Saints of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSimon Fraser Clan andFort Hays State Tigers.
Shepherd grew up inAjax, Ontario, where he played youth football with the Ajax/Pickering Dolphins Football Club.[1]
AtSimon Fraser University, Shepherdredshirted his first year and was able to start every game his second year as adefensive 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 theMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Defensive Player of the Year.[2] He was also invited to play in the2018 Senior Bowl.[3]
On November 20, 2017, it was announced that Shepherd had accepted his invitation to play in the2018 Senior Bowl.[4] He became the first player from Fort Hays State to receive an invitation to theSenior 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 suffered a broken hand during Senior Bowl practice and was unable to participate in the official game.[6]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 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 thanMalik 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]
Shepherd attended theNFL Scouting Combine inIndianapolis 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 apro 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 theDallas Cowboys,Arizona Cardinals,Atlanta Falcons, andHouston 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 andScouts Inc.[10]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Nathan Shepherd's NFL Combine Workout | |
| Nathan Shepherd runs 40-yard dash | |
| NFL Draft Profile: Nathan Shepherd |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+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 fromNFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
TheNew York Jets selected Shepherd in the third round (72nd overall) in the2018 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 sinceFrankie Neal was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the third round (71st overall) of the1987 NFL draft.[15] On May 14, 2018, the Jets signed Shepherd to a four-year, $3.87 million contract that includes asigning bonus of $987,724.[16]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| 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 asports 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]
On March 17, 2023, Shepherd signed a three-year, $15 million contract with theNew Orleans Saints.[20] He ended the 2023 season with a career-best 50 tackles and 3.5 sacks.[21] In 2024, during the Saints' Week 8 game against theLos Angeles Chargers, Shepherd attempted to sackJustin Herbert, as he could not see that Herbert had thrown the ball he continued to try to bring him down by the legs after the fact, though was eventually tackled by centerBradley Bozeman.[22] Upon appeal the NFL rescinded his fine for the incident,[23] as he had not intentionally tried to injure Herbert during the play.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| 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 |
| 2023 | NO | 17 | 17 | 50 | 27 | 23 | 3.5 |
| 2024 | NO | 16 | 13 | 37 | 16 | 21 | 1.5 |
| Career | 106 | 42 | 191 | 95 | 96 | 11 | |
