Sterling Shepard

Sterling Clay Shepard (born February 10, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma. Shepard was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Sterling Shepard
Shepard in 2019
No. 87 – New York Giants
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1993-02-10) February 10, 1993
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Heritage Hall
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
College:Oklahoma
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Receptions:247
Receiving yards:2,862
Receiving touchdowns:17
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Shepard was born on February 10, 1993.[1] Shepard attended Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he rushed for 1,115 yards and caught 133 passes for 2,335 yards and 38 touchdowns in his high school football career.[2] As a senior, he carried the ball 28 times for 303 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 73 passes for 1,243 yards and 17 touchdowns. Following his senior season, he was selected to the Under Armour All-American Game. In addition, Shepard competed in basketball and track at Heritage. As a senior in 2011, he placed second in the long jump at the State Meet with a leap of 6.69 meters (21'11.5").[3]

Shepard was a consensus four-star recruit by ESPN.com, Rivals.com, 247sports.com and Scout.com. He committed to the University of Oklahoma to play college football under head coach Bob Stoops.[4][5]

College career

As a true freshman at the University of Oklahoma in 2012, Shepard played in all 13 games with four starts and had 45 receptions for 621 yards and three touchdowns.[6][7] He made his collegiate debut on September 8, against Florida A&M, and had three receptions for 48 receiving yards.[8] In the following game, he had seven receptions for 108 receiving yards and his first collegiate receiving touchdown against Kansas State.[9] As a sophomore in 2013, he started 12 of 13 games, recording 51 receptions for 603 yards and seven touchdowns.[10][11] On September 14, against Tulsa, he had the best game of his collegiate career to that point with eight receptions for 123 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[12] In the 2014 Sugar Bowl against Alabama, he had his first collegiate rushing touchdown on a 13-yard play.[13] Shepard started 12 of 13 games as a junior in 2014. He started off the season very strong with career-highs in receiving yards at first against Tulsa with 177 and 215 later on against TCU.[14][15] After recording 49 receptions for 911 yards and five touchdowns through the first seven games of the season, he suffered a groin injury on a reception against Iowa State, which caused him to miss the rest of that game and the next week's game against Baylor and limited him to one reception for 13 yards during the final four games.[16][17][18] As a senior in 2015, he played in all 14 games and had 86 receptions for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns.[19] On September 2, against Tennessee, he caught a five-yard touchdown from Baker Mayfield with only 40 seconds remaining to help force overtime. In the second overtime, he caught a game-winning 18-yard pass from Mayfield.[20] For his collegiate career, he had 233 receptions for 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Collegiate statistics
Sterling Shepard Receiving
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD
2012 Oklahoma Big 12 FR WR 13 45 621 13.8 3
2013 Oklahoma Big 12 SO WR 12 51 603 11.8 7
2014 Oklahoma Big 12 JR WR 11 51 970 19.0 5
2015 Oklahoma Big 12 SR WR 13 86 1,288 15.0 11
Career Oklahoma 49 233 3,482 14.9 26

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10 1⁄4 in
(1.78 m)		 194 lb
(88 kg)		 30 3⁄8 in
(0.77 m)		 9 3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 4.48 s 1.55 s 2.60 s 4.35 s 7.00 s 41 in
(1.04 m)		 10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)		 20 reps
All values from NFL Combine[21]

Shepard was selected by the New York Giants in the second round with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.[22] He was the fifth wide receiver to be selected that year.[23] On May 6, 2016, the Giants signed Shepard to a four-year, $5.94 million contract that includes $3.24 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.52 million.[24][25]

2016: Rookie year

Going into the regular season, Shepard was named a starting wide receiver, along with Odell Beckham Jr. He started Giants' season opener against the Dallas Cowboys and made three receptions for 43-yards and caught his first career touchdown on a nine-yard pass from Eli Manning, helping the Giants win 20–19.[26] The following week, Shepard caught a season-high eight passes for 117 receiving yards in a 16–13 victory over the New Orleans Saints.[27] On September 25, 2016, he caught five passes for 73 yards and caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning during the Giants' first loss of the season to the Washington Redskins.[28] On November 6, 2016, he continued to emerge as a promising receiver after he made three receptions for 50 yards and caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.[29] The following game, Shepard caught five passes for 42 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 21–20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.[30][31]

On November 20, 2016, Shepard had his third game in a row with a touchdown after he finished a 22–16 victory over the Chicago Bears with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.[32] In a Week 16 match-up against the Philadelphia Eagles, Shepard made seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown as the Giants lost 24–19.[33] He finished the season with 65 receptions for 683 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.[34] The Giants made the playoffs with an 11–5 record. In his playoff debut, he had four receptions for 63 receiving yards in the 38–13 Wild Card Round loss to the Green Bay Packers.[35] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team following the season.[36]

2017
Shepard in a game against the Denver Broncos

Shepard started the 2017 season off with nine receptions for 67 receiving yards combined in the first two games against the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.[37][38] In the next game, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had seven receptions for 133 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, which was a 77-yard reception.[39] During the 2017 season, Shepard missed multiple games due to reported issues with migraines.[40] During Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Shepard had a career high eleven receptions for 142 receiving yards as the Giants lost 21-31.[41] Later that season, in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Shepard tied his career high for receptions, and set a new high for targets, with sixteen. Shepard also caught a touchdown pass, which he did not during Week 10.[42][43] Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 59 receptions for 731 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[44]

2018
Shepard (#87) playing against the Washington Redskins in 2018

In Week 7, against the Atlanta Falcons, Shepard had five receptions for 167 yards.[45] In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Shepard had two catches for nine yards and the game-winning touchdown in the 27-23 win.[46] Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 66 receptions for 872 yards and four touchdowns.[47]

2019

On April 10, 2019, Shepard signed a four-year, $41 million contract extension with the Giants with $21.3 million guaranteed.[48] In Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Shepard caught seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown as the Giants won 32-31. [49] In Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins, Shepard caught a season high nine passes for 111 yards in the 36–20 win. [50] Overall, Shepard finished the 2019 season with 57 receptions for 576 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[51]

NFL statistics
Regular season
Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GGSRecYdsAvgY/GTDAttYdsAvgY/GTDFumLost
2016NYG 16166568310.542.7833110.31.9000
2017NYG 11105973112.466.52441.00.4010
2018NYG 16166687213.254.5433311.02.1010
2019NYG 10105757610.157.6367212.07.2000
Career53522472,86211.654.017161408.82.6020

Source:[52]

Personal life

His father, Derrick Shepard, played at Oklahoma and in the NFL from 1987-1991 as a wide receiver. He died when Sterling was six.[53][54][55] His uncles, Darrell (1980–81) and Woodie (1975–79), also played at Oklahoma.[56]

Shepard married model Chanel Iman on March 3, 2018. On August 10, 2018, their first child, Cali Clay Shepard, was born.[57]. On December 17, 2019, they welcomed their second daughter, Cassie Snow Shepard.[58]

References
  1. "Sterling Shepard". NFL.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  2. Feken, Nate (December 19, 2015). "Second Straight State Title Special For Heritage Hall". KFOR.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  3. "OK Preps Extra: 4A/3A State Track Results". OK Preps Extra.
  4. "Sterling Shepard". Yahoo! Sports.
  5. Przybylo, Bob. "Heritage Hall's Sterling Shepard commits to Oklahoma". NewsOK.com.
  6. Hoffman, Sam (August 1, 2013). "Shepard ready to build solid freshman campaign". OUDaily.com. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  7. "Sterling Shepard 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  8. "Florida A&M at Oklahoma Box Score, September 8, 2012". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  9. "Kansas State at Oklahoma Box Score, September 22, 2012". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  10. Emig, Guerin. "Sterling Shepard now front and center". Tulsa World.
  11. "Sterling Shepard 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  12. "Tulsa at Oklahoma Box Score, September 14, 2013". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  13. "Sugar Bowl - Oklahoma vs Alabama Box Score, January 2, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  14. "Oklahoma at Tulsa Box Score, September 6, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  15. "Oklahoma at Texas Christian Box Score, October 4, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  16. "Sterling Shepard 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
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  18. Bailey, Eric. "OU receiver Sterling Shepard patiently rehabs injury, takes it easy at bowl practice". Tulsa World.
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  21. "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Sterling Shepard". nfl.com. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  22. Salomone, Dan (April 29, 2016). "New York Giants Draft Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard in second round". Giants.com. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  23. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
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  32. "Chicago Bears at New York Giants - November 20th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  33. "New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles - December 22nd, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  34. "Sterling Shepard 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
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  36. "2016 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
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  49. "Jones sparkles in his start, Giants rally past Bucs 32-31". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  50. "Manning throws 2 TDs, Barkley scores 2, Giants end long skid". www.espn.com. Associated Pressssss. December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
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  53. Aber, Ryan (November 17, 2014). "Oklahoma football: Sterling Shepard has special bond with OU program". NewsOK.com. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
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  55. Kersey, Jason (September 7, 2012). "Oklahoma football: Sterling Shepard to make debut on same field where his late father played". NewsOK.com. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
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  58. "Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard Welcome Daughter Cassie Snow — and She Already Has Instagram!". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
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