Mississippi defensive lineman Qaadir Sheppard (DL39) speaks to the media during the 2020 NFL Combine in the Indianapolis Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Qaadir Sheppard NFL Draft Portfolio
There may be no sports played anytime soon, but the NFL is still holding their draft and we're under one week out.
The 2020 NFL Draft is no longer in Las Vegas. Instead, it'll be held virtually with all coaches, general managers and teams operating remotely using virtual draft software. Still, players will be picked and franchises will be changed.
More importantly for some of these graduating seniors and players leaving college football early, lives will be altered in the next week to a tremendous degree.
With less than one week left until the draft, commencing with the first round on Thursday, April 23rd, it's time to take a look at the draft stock for eligible Ole Miss Rebels. In prior days we have looked at Benito Jones, Scottie Phillips and Josiah Coatney. Today? Qaadir Sheppard.
Sheppard is another one of the Ole Miss guys that both benefited from, and had some adapting to do, with the scheme changes from a 4-3 to a 3-4 between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Playing most of the 2019 season at outside linebacker with a club on his broken left hand, Sheppard led Ole Miss with a team-high seven quarterback hurries. Yet he didn't record a sack. In actuality, Sheppard's senior season was actually no where near as productive as his 2018 campaign from defensive end, when he recorded 10 tackles for loss and 48 total tackles as junior.
In reality, that club on his hand, combined with learning and laying a new position that he may not have been as suited for, likely impacted his senior year play.
“Honestly, I think it affected me a lot. My left hand, the one with the club, was my dominant hand," Sheppard told me back in March rolling the NFL combine. "So it was just weird trying to do everything with my right. Sometimes, I was still accidentally using my left hand when it hurt or I would hit someone with the club and it would hurt a lot… tackling, trying to grab someone, was really hard and then there’s a lot of pass rush moves and stuff.”
Positionally, Sheppard says teams are looking at him both as a 3-4 outside linebacker and a 4-3 defensive end. But that 2019 season is looking tough to some scouts.
"I thought he looked like a middle-round player (in 2018), but I'm not sure if he's even draftable now," said the director of scouting for one NFL team. "He looks good in pads, but at some point you have to make plays."
What did his combine measurables look like?
- Height: 6'3" (39th percentile amongst defensive ends)
- Weight: 261 pounds (16th percentile)
- Arm length: 32 3/4" (26th percentile)
- Hand size: 10" (57th percentile)
- 40-yard dash: 4.83" (71st percentile)
- Vertical jump: 31 1/2" (53rd percentile)
- Broad jump: 115" (72nd percentile)
- Bench press: 28 reps (71st percentile)
NFL player comparisons by testing numbers: Jabaal Sheard, Anthony Spencer, Karon Riley
What are the experts saying?
- Lance Zierlein (NFL.com) - 5.54 grade (chance to make end of roster)
- "Sheppard has the body type, play strength and toughness of an NFL talent, but 2019 was a forgettable year and 2018 was more average than good by draft standards. He's not a great short-area athlete and doesn't play with the recognition and instincts to put himself in position to make enough plays. On paper, the career sack production would be a non-starter for most teams, but there are flashes of explosiveness when attacking the pocket. Teams might gamble on the 2018 tape and make Sheppard a late-round pick as a 3-4 SAM linebacker."
- Charlie Campbell (WalterFootball.com) - 7th round to UDFA projection
Other Rebel Draft Portfolios:
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