From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Colorado wide receiver Will Sheppard.
#14 WILL SHEPPARD/WR COLORADO – 6020, 198 POUNDS (SENIOR)
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Will Sheppard | 6020/198 | 9 7/8 | 32 1/4 | 78 1/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Shows elite contested catch ability
– Above average size with height falling in the 77th percentile and weight falling in the 58th percentile
– Demonstrates great hands by mixing in tough hand catches with more secure body catches
– Can add a spark to an offense with his big play deep threat ability
– Adds a red zone threat dynamic, as seen by his seven-touchdown average per season in college from 2021-2024
– Has very good body control, which allows him to make impressive catches along the sideline
– Solid ability to stack defenders and get overtop of them
– Showed some pretty good flashes at the Shrine Bowl, along with competitiveness
– Large catch radius that allows him to make grabs outside of his frame
– Understands defender’s leverage and how to make them miss with the ball in his hands
The Bad
– Never had an elite statistical season and was never able to live up to his 2022 season, where he had career-highs in yards and touchdowns
– Separation has proven to be his biggest challenge, which forces him into tougher catches
– Limited route tree that mainly consisted of hitches, go balls, and the occasional over route once a game
– Lacks effort and urgency as a blocker in the run game
– Inconsistent yards after the catch ability
– Top-end speed is mediocre at best
– Needs to improve hand fighting to create more initial space off the line
Bio
– 23 years old (February 11th, 2002)
– 42 games played for Vanderbilt from 2020 to 2023, 13 games played for Colorado in 2024
– 200 offensive touches, 2,688 scrimmage yards, 27 scrimmage touchdowns, and 13.4 yards per catch in his college career
– 48 offensive touches, 621 scrimmage yards, 6 scrimmage touchdowns, and 12.9 yards per catch in 2024
– 2023 undisclosed injury that made him questionable against Auburn
– Three-star WR in his 2020 high school class from Mandeville, LA
– Three-sport athlete in high school playing football, basketball, and track and field
– Father, Willie, played football at Louisiana Tech, and mother, Rebekah, played volleyball at Louisiana Tech
– Averaged 20 points per game in basketball as a senior in high school
– During his senior season of high school, he posted 1,276 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns on 62 catches to help lead them to a 9-4 record before falling in the third round of the playoffs
– Eighth receiver in Vanderbilt history to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards, tied for third in school history with 21 career receiving touchdowns and Ranked No. 7 all-time at Vanderbilt with 2,067 career receiving yards
– Did not receive a Combine invite despite participating in the Shrine Bowl
– 2022 Second-team All-SEC
Tape Breakdown
This is the kind of play that put Will Sheppard on the map at Vanderbilt. They loved using him as the big-body receiver in the red zone who could box out the defender and make grabs outside of his frame. Even though Sheppard has a large frame for his position, he plays even bigger than that, which can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. While it is a great catch, you can see a lot of struggles in his game through this clip. He struggles with creating separation and relies on his physicality to do so, which is unsustainable.
— Steven (@Elspedd) March 11, 2025
Like at Vanderbilt, Colorado loved using Sheppard for the same type of playstyle. There were countless times when the Buffalos were faced with a third and long, which caused Shedeur Sanders to throw a prayer at Sheppard. That is exactly what happens in this clip. Sanders avoids a sack for enough time, Sheppard gets far downfield, and a prayer is chucked up. The ball is placed in a pretty good spot where Sheppard can catch it in the basket. While it was a great catch by Sheppard, it was just as equally a terrible play for the defender, in my opinion, on not playing the ball.
— Steven (@Elspedd) March 11, 2025
Sheppard struggles with creating separation, so he is forced to use his physicality, as shown in this big play. It is tough to tell exactly what happens here, but the corner ends up on the ground, leaving Sheppard wide open. You can even see the corner looking at the ref to throw a flag with his hands in the air, almost in disbelief. Sheppard catches the ball with only the safety to beat until the endzone. It seems as if Sheppard does not trust his speed enough to outrun the safety, which is mildly concerning, and it causes Sheppard to cut back inside, which gets him tackled short of the endzone. If he trusts his speed, that is more than likely a touchdown.
— Steven (@Elspedd) March 11, 2025
Sheppard had a very limited route tree, mainly consisting of hitches, go balls, and occasional over-route. Here, he is given a drag route that crosses over Dre’lon Miller’s drag coming from the other side. This is essentially a rub route designed to get Sheppard open and give him some separation from the defender. After the catch, he does a good job at making a few defenders miss by swerving around them, but it seems he has some stiffness with the ball in his hands. It is tough to get excited about the occasional target Sheppard receives over the middle of the field when he is schemed open by the coaches instead of creating the space on his own.
— Steven (@Elspedd) March 11, 2025
One thing that I think Sheppard did really well was giving a great competitiveness at the Shrine Bowl. He walked away having the best week of any of the Colorado guys, in my opinion. He did so by showing off the best part of his game, his hands and contested catching ability. The first clip is from the game, and he makes a great back-shoulder catch for 20 yards. The second clip might be the best catch of the entire week, as he hauls in a one-handed catch in the back of the endzone. This will definitely put him on the teams’ radars as they look for a big-body receiver in the draft.
— Steven (@Elspedd) March 11, 2025
Conclusion
Will Sheppard’s game simply does not translate into being a productive NFL wide receiver. He is pretty solid at being the typical big-play guy who uses his large frame to box out the defender while hauling in the deep pass, but there is not much versatility to his game. This lack of versatility truly hurts him as a prospect and is why I believe he lacked statistical production. He had a pretty solid year for Vanderbilt back in 2022, where he posted 60 catches for 776 yards and nine touchdowns. However, he could never live up to this season, as he never hit the 700-yard mark or nine touchdowns in a single season again.
Many, including myself, were shocked to see Sheppard not receive a Combine invite. However, I feel it was in Sheppard’s best interest not to participate because his film did not give off the impression of him being a stellar athlete.
My pro comparison for Sheppard is Rashard Higgins. Higgins was a massive statistical producer coming out of Colorado State but lacked the physical traits to translate that production into the NFL. Higgins’ lack of physical traits showed up in his relative athletic score (RAS), where he landed in just the 16th percentile for athletic testing among the receiver position all-time. Sheppard didn’t get a Combine invite, so we don’t have his official numbers. Based on his film, Sheppard would also have tested below average. They were both helped in college to overcome this lack of raw athleticism, with their position coaches being former NFL receivers. For Sheppard it was Jason Phillips who played from 1989-1994 with the Lions and Falcons. For Higgins, it was Alvis Whitted, who played from 1998 to 2006 for the Jaguars, Falcons, and Raiders. Their hands are what draw attention to their game, and both have similar above-average frames.
Projection: Late day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.0 – Undrafted Free Agent (PFA – Undrafted Free Agent)
Games Watched: Shrine Bowl (2025), UCF (2024), BYU (2024), Kansas State (2024), Wake Forest (2023)
