This was from an SB Nation - Carolina Panther blogger. I find the whole scouting aspect, extremely interesting.
Draft 2016 profile: Sterling Shepard
By OG_POD on Jan 22, 2016, 11:06a 38
Sterling Shepard #3 WR Oklahoma 5'10" 191lbs Sr.
Watched 6 games via draftbreakdown. I suggest watching vs Texas.
Special abilities:
Full route tree- Shepard ran more than just the traditional 1-9 route tree (some of these routes have multiple names dependent upon system implementation).
Image from http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/inside-the-playbook-the-nfl-route-tree/
Shepard was able to complete complicated routes (shakes, wheels, out and ups...) for big gains from different WR positions. He should be able to fit into any offense whether it is simplified or complex. This is an elite part of his game that needs little polish.
Route running- Shepard does some high level things with his route running. He is able to find soft spots in zones, break off routes to help QB, morph one route into another (stemming) and understand the angles between him, QB and defender. Shepard is extremely successful with crosses, slants and screens. Shepard is able to defeat press coverage despite his size. He had a very good game vs Sutton of Tennessee who is seen as a 2nd-3rd round CB. He does tip his hand from time to time.
YAC- Sterling gets yards after the catch (YAC) frequently. He is able to shift between 1st and 2nd gear quickly and outrun angles. Shepard can juke guys in the open field and shake tackles. He has good field vision with the ball in his hands, but not great.
Production- Shepard was very productive at Oklahoma. He had 12 games of 100+ yards and 8 games of 8+ catches. Add that to the fact that Oklahoma is a run first team with Samaje Perine and the bevy of running QB's they have used during Shepard's time at Oklahoma. This is a guy that can be fed the ball steadily and expected to produce.
Versatility- Oklahoma used Shepard all over the field. He played all of the WR positions (X, Y, Z), ran the ball on sweeps or pitches and caught punts. I cannot say the punt catching was a strength because every game I saw he was only fair catching. Shepard showing he can win on the outside or in the slot is a big plus in the NFL. Allows him to get favorable matchups.
Average abilities:
Catching ability- Shepard has extremely strong hands. He only dropped two catchable passes in the games I saw. He is able to shield the ball with his body effectively against tight coverage. Couple that with his jumping ability and he can make some spectacular catches. He is able to adjust to balls in the air and accelerate quickly to get under them. Shepard does not have a big catching radius. If he takes a misstep or two, he is essentially out of the play. The QB has to throw a more accurate ball vs a bigger body receiver. He did not get bullied a lot, but I see it being an issue in the NFL.
Athleticism/speed- I expected Shepard to be faster than he is. There were multiple plays he got chased down from behind. His teammate Samaje Perine would not have been caught...and he outweighs Shepard by about 40 lbs. With that said, Shepard has other aspects that make him dangerous. He has great leaping ability, able to make quick cuts plus able to throttle up and down quickly.
Blocking- Shepard is a willing blocker so I can only ding him so much. His form is hit or miss and he does not have a lot of leg drive. He just runs up and pops the guy, sometimes leading with his head. The fact is, he actually puts in the effort, more than most WR's. He could improve in this area.
Needs improvement:
Wasted movement- Shepard jumps needlessly. This happens on all sorts of routes. It has limited his YAC ability before and caused a pass to be dislodged because he hung in the air. This should be fixable, but no guarantees. He takes some choppy steps in routes, but it's not horrific.
Size/Frame- Shepard is a smaller guy. He is at a disadvantage with jump balls and contested passes. He could improve his strength, but he does not play diminutively. Not much he can do to improve on his size.
Upside- There is not much Shepard can improve on. He could add some strength, stop jumping needlessly and block a little better. But none of these will make him THAT much more effective. He is pretty polished as-is.
Conclusion:
Shepard has the potential to be an elite slot receiver who can move all over the field. Is that worth a 1st rounder? Not to me. He can be too easily negated with his lack of strength and opportunities would need to be engineered for him if he is getting shutdown. This happens to a lot of smaller WR's (Cooks, T. Austin). Shepard is not in the WR #1 mold where you can throw him the ball even if he is not open or just expect him to get open when ball is released. That is not to discredit what he does. He will get open often in the NFL and should make an impact quickly. WC or other quick/rhythm passing teams will jump at the chance to take him. He may go first round, but his only truly elite skill is route running. He does everything else well for the most part. I see Shepard as a high 2nd rounder 32-42. He may go earlier depending on scheme fit for a particular team. I think the Panthers may show interest, but they have the pieces they need at WR between Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn, Philly Brown, Kevin Norwood and possibly Jericho Cotchery. Not sure if Shepard fits in that group.
Extra notes:
Samaje Perine (RB, Okla) is a beast. I watched a lot of him while trying to compile enough snaps for Shepard. He has speed, power, balance and vision. He reminds me a lot of Adrian Peterson and Jonathan Stewart. Not too many 225+lb guys who are home run hitters. Andrew Billings (DT, Baylor) showed some penetrating ability in the two games I saw vs Okla. Will need to watch more, but it did not look like Baylor had him swallowing blocks, despite his weights (310+). He was used on stunts and knifing through the line. I wonder if he can anchor consistently.
I can take one more request for a prospect to research. After that, I will probably dive in to the Top 10 OT's I do each year. I will probably try to do CB or DE as well, but I doubt both. Tell me what you guys think.
Draft 2016 profile: Sterling Shepard
By OG_POD on Jan 22, 2016, 11:06a 38
Sterling Shepard #3 WR Oklahoma 5'10" 191lbs Sr.
Watched 6 games via draftbreakdown. I suggest watching vs Texas.
Special abilities:
Full route tree- Shepard ran more than just the traditional 1-9 route tree (some of these routes have multiple names dependent upon system implementation).
Image from http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/inside-the-playbook-the-nfl-route-tree/
Shepard was able to complete complicated routes (shakes, wheels, out and ups...) for big gains from different WR positions. He should be able to fit into any offense whether it is simplified or complex. This is an elite part of his game that needs little polish.
Route running- Shepard does some high level things with his route running. He is able to find soft spots in zones, break off routes to help QB, morph one route into another (stemming) and understand the angles between him, QB and defender. Shepard is extremely successful with crosses, slants and screens. Shepard is able to defeat press coverage despite his size. He had a very good game vs Sutton of Tennessee who is seen as a 2nd-3rd round CB. He does tip his hand from time to time.
YAC- Sterling gets yards after the catch (YAC) frequently. He is able to shift between 1st and 2nd gear quickly and outrun angles. Shepard can juke guys in the open field and shake tackles. He has good field vision with the ball in his hands, but not great.
Production- Shepard was very productive at Oklahoma. He had 12 games of 100+ yards and 8 games of 8+ catches. Add that to the fact that Oklahoma is a run first team with Samaje Perine and the bevy of running QB's they have used during Shepard's time at Oklahoma. This is a guy that can be fed the ball steadily and expected to produce.
Versatility- Oklahoma used Shepard all over the field. He played all of the WR positions (X, Y, Z), ran the ball on sweeps or pitches and caught punts. I cannot say the punt catching was a strength because every game I saw he was only fair catching. Shepard showing he can win on the outside or in the slot is a big plus in the NFL. Allows him to get favorable matchups.
Average abilities:
Catching ability- Shepard has extremely strong hands. He only dropped two catchable passes in the games I saw. He is able to shield the ball with his body effectively against tight coverage. Couple that with his jumping ability and he can make some spectacular catches. He is able to adjust to balls in the air and accelerate quickly to get under them. Shepard does not have a big catching radius. If he takes a misstep or two, he is essentially out of the play. The QB has to throw a more accurate ball vs a bigger body receiver. He did not get bullied a lot, but I see it being an issue in the NFL.
Athleticism/speed- I expected Shepard to be faster than he is. There were multiple plays he got chased down from behind. His teammate Samaje Perine would not have been caught...and he outweighs Shepard by about 40 lbs. With that said, Shepard has other aspects that make him dangerous. He has great leaping ability, able to make quick cuts plus able to throttle up and down quickly.
Blocking- Shepard is a willing blocker so I can only ding him so much. His form is hit or miss and he does not have a lot of leg drive. He just runs up and pops the guy, sometimes leading with his head. The fact is, he actually puts in the effort, more than most WR's. He could improve in this area.
Needs improvement:
Wasted movement- Shepard jumps needlessly. This happens on all sorts of routes. It has limited his YAC ability before and caused a pass to be dislodged because he hung in the air. This should be fixable, but no guarantees. He takes some choppy steps in routes, but it's not horrific.
Size/Frame- Shepard is a smaller guy. He is at a disadvantage with jump balls and contested passes. He could improve his strength, but he does not play diminutively. Not much he can do to improve on his size.
Upside- There is not much Shepard can improve on. He could add some strength, stop jumping needlessly and block a little better. But none of these will make him THAT much more effective. He is pretty polished as-is.
Conclusion:
Shepard has the potential to be an elite slot receiver who can move all over the field. Is that worth a 1st rounder? Not to me. He can be too easily negated with his lack of strength and opportunities would need to be engineered for him if he is getting shutdown. This happens to a lot of smaller WR's (Cooks, T. Austin). Shepard is not in the WR #1 mold where you can throw him the ball even if he is not open or just expect him to get open when ball is released. That is not to discredit what he does. He will get open often in the NFL and should make an impact quickly. WC or other quick/rhythm passing teams will jump at the chance to take him. He may go first round, but his only truly elite skill is route running. He does everything else well for the most part. I see Shepard as a high 2nd rounder 32-42. He may go earlier depending on scheme fit for a particular team. I think the Panthers may show interest, but they have the pieces they need at WR between Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn, Philly Brown, Kevin Norwood and possibly Jericho Cotchery. Not sure if Shepard fits in that group.
Extra notes:
Samaje Perine (RB, Okla) is a beast. I watched a lot of him while trying to compile enough snaps for Shepard. He has speed, power, balance and vision. He reminds me a lot of Adrian Peterson and Jonathan Stewart. Not too many 225+lb guys who are home run hitters. Andrew Billings (DT, Baylor) showed some penetrating ability in the two games I saw vs Okla. Will need to watch more, but it did not look like Baylor had him swallowing blocks, despite his weights (310+). He was used on stunts and knifing through the line. I wonder if he can anchor consistently.
I can take one more request for a prospect to research. After that, I will probably dive in to the Top 10 OT's I do each year. I will probably try to do CB or DE as well, but I doubt both. Tell me what you guys think.
