2016 NFL Draft: Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard 2016 Scouting Report
By Jon Dove
Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard 2016 Scouting Report
Sterling Shepard is a smooth athlete who easily gets in and out of his breaks. His movements are so effortless that he appears to be floating through his routes. This is the main reason he was able to have such a productive college career.
Shepard routinely creates excellent separation which provides his quarterback with an open target. It’s the fact that he’s able to run balanced routes and quickly change direction. He also features good awareness with the ability to locate open holes in the zone.
Draft Breakdown’s gif creator is down at the moment but you can see Shepard reading the defense and sitting down in the opening by clicking here and scrolling to the 1:48 mark.
Shepard needs his fluidity, quickness and awareness to be effective because he lacks great size. He’s a smaller target who does most of his damage out of the slot. This role allows him to work across the middle and avoid contact at the line of scrimmage.
He also features the shiftiness and quick-twitch ability to pick up yards after the catch. Shepard does a great job reading his blocks and working his way down the field. This ability also comes in handy when he’s asked to handle punt return duties.
There will always be some concern when a receiver comes out of a wide-open offense like the one run at Oklahoma. These receivers are typically raw route runners and only familiar with a simple route tree. Shepard shouldn’t be lumped into that category as he has shown the ability to execute different route concepts.
Current Draft Position: Early 3rd Round