Darrius Allen Shepherd (born November 1, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at North Dakota State, and was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
_(cropped).jpg) Shepherd with the St. Louis BattleHawks in 2023 | |||||||
| No. 11 – St. Louis Battlehawks | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | November 1, 1995 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 186 lb (84 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Blue Springs (MO) | ||||||
| College: | North Dakota State | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2019 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2022 | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Early life
Shepherd was born one of three children to Amy Shepherd. His brother is named Xavier and his sister is named Cheyenne. Shepherd's father Louis, played college football for Missouri and his grandfather played college basketball for Missouri State and was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1968.[1]
High school career
Shepherd attended Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri. Shepherd committed to North Dakota State over an offer from Valparaiso.[2]
College career
Shepherd finished his college career with the Bison recording 188 receptions for 2,841 yards and 20 touchdowns.[3] Shepherd graduated in May 2018 from North Dakota State with a bachelor's degree in university studies while minoring in psychology.[4]
Professional career
| 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 | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 30 in (0.76 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.61 s | 1.68 s | 2.68 s | 4.40 s | 7.13 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 14 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[5] | ||||||||||||
Green Bay Packers
On May 6, 2019, Shepherd was signed by the Green Bay Packers after being invited to rookie camp.[6] He recorded his first NFL catch, a 1-yard reception from Aaron Rodgers, during a Week 6 win over the Detroit Lions on October 14, 2019.[7] He was waived on October 29 and re-signed to the practice squad.[8][9] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Packers on January 21, 2020.[10]
Shepherd was waived on September 5, 2020,[11] and signed to the practice squad the next day.[12] He was promoted to the active roster on September 26, 2020.[13] He was waived on December 1, 2020.[14]
Kansas City Chiefs
On June 17, 2021, Shepherd signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.[15] He was released on August 31, 2021.[16]
Arizona Cardinals
On November 10, 2021, Shepherd was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.[17] He was released on November 15, 2021.[18]
Minnesota Vikings
On December 15, 2021, Shepherd was signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.[19] He was released on December 21, 2021.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On December 30, 2021, Shepherd was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.[20] He was released on January 3, 2022.
New Jersey Generals
On February 23, 2022, Shepherd was drafted by the New Jersey Generals.[21]
Denver Broncos
On August 4, 2022, Shepherd signed with the Denver Broncos.[22] He was waived on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day.[23][24] He was released on October 11.
St. Louis Battlehawks
Shepherd was drafted by the St. Louis Battlehawks on November 18, 2022.[25] Shepherd started 8 games, catching 36 Passes for 363 Yards, and 4 Touchdowns. Shepherd also returned 27 Kicks for 701 Yards, with his longest return being 80 Yards.[26] Shepherd won the 2023 XFL Special Teams Player of the Year on May 3, 2023.[27] He was released from his contract on June 1.[28]
Los Angeles Chargers
On June 1, 2023, Shepherd signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.[29] He was released on August 29, 2023.[30]
St. Louis Battlehawks (second stint)
On January 19, 2024, Shepherd re-signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks.[31]
Career statistics
| Year | Team | League | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Kickoff Returns | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | LG | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Num | Yds | Avg | TD | LG | |||
| 2019 | GB | NFL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 147 | 16.3 | 0 | 21 |
| 2020 | GB | NFL | 8 | 0 | 5 | 46 | 9.2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 227 | 20.6 | 0 | 30 |
| 2022 | NJ | USFL | 8 | 6 | 27 | 323 | 12.0 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | STL | XFL | 8 | 8 | 36 | 363 | 10.1 | 4 | 30T | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 701 | 26.0 | 0 | 80 |
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · Pro Football Reference
- North Dakota State Bison bio