HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State has not been heard at the podium of the NFL Draft in 31 years, but there is a good chance the drought will end this weekend as defensive tackle
Nathan Shepherd awaits hearing his name selected by one of 32 NFL teams. The reigning MIAA Defensive Player of the Year looks to become the third player in FHSU history selected in the NFL Draft.
See highlights of
Nathan Shepherd's performance at the NFL Combine below…
**NFL Network owns the rights to the video above and provided it to Fort Hays State University Athletics**
Though there has been a handful of players signed as undrafted rookie free agents in the past few decades, the last player from FHSU chosen in the NFL Draft was wide receiver Frankie Neal in 1987. The Green Bay Packers selected Neal with the 71
st pick of that draft in the third round. The only other Tiger ever hearing or seeing his name selected in the draft was running back Steve Crosby in 1974 by the New York Giants. Shepherd will look to be the first-ever defensive player from FHSU taken in the draft.
A native of Okeechobee, Florida, Neal played three years at the University of Florida before transferring to FHSU for his final year of collegiate football. Neal still owns the University of Florida single-season record for yards per reception, averaging 24.4 per catch, which is a record for players with at least 20 receptions in a season. In his one year at FHSU (1986), Neal finished with 40 receptions for 846 yards, averaging 21.2 yards per catch. At that time, the 21.2 yards per reception tied for second best in school history, but has since moved down to fourth on the list. Neal played just one year in the NFL with the Packers, his rookie year of 1987, finishing with 36 receptions for 420 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games played.
Crosby, a native of Pawnee Rock, Kansas, played three seasons with the New York Giants (1974-1976) before enjoying a long 30-plus year career as a coach in the NFL. He carried the ball 15 times in those three years for 54 yards, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Crosby started his path of coaching with the Miami Dolphins as a scout in 1977 and two years later became the team's special teams and linebackers coach for four years. From that point, he had two coaching stints with both the Atlanta Falcons (six years total) and Cleveland Browns (six years total). He served as the offensive coordinator of the Browns in 1994 and 1995. He also held positions with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Crosby left the NFL from 1998 to 2001 to serve as the offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt University, but returned in 2002 with the San Diego Chargers and served as special teams coach until 2010. Crosby was an All-America selection at Fort Hays State in 1973.
There has been plenty of buzz surrounding
Nathan Shepherd throughout the NFL community since his breakout performance at the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and his solid performance at the NFL Combine. His prospect grade of 5.64 at the NFL Combine projects him with a chance to become a starter in the NFL.
Nathan Shepherd joined Patrick Claybon live on NFL Network on "Up to the Minute" about his journey to the eve of the NFL Draft. See the interview below...
**NFL Network owns the rights to the video above**
See some of the latest Twitter comments on Shepherd as the NFL Draft approaches...
Shepherd was a standout defensive tackle at Fort Hays State, a two-time All-America selection (2016 and 2017) and 2017 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. He was a three-time All-MIAA selection. In his three years at Fort Hays State, Shepherd amassed 168 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. Shepherd was an All-America First Team by three organizations in his senior year, including the American Football Coaches Association, D2Football.com, and the Don Hansen Football Committee. He tied for the most amount of votes given to a Division II player for the Cliff Harris Award, presented to the nation's top small college defensive player representing NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges. This year, the award went to a player from NCAA Division III.
Shepherd has a unique story in his journey to the NFL. He initially started his collegiate career at Simon Fraser University, another NCAA Division II school in Canada, spent two years out of football working in Canada, then came to Fort Hays State University where he made a tremendous impact for three years. In his final year, Shepherd helped Fort Hays State to its best season in school history in 2017 as the team went 11-0 in the regular season, won its first MIAA Championship, and made the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since 1995.
See Tom Schad's story of Shepherd's journey in USA Today Sports below.
Dan Ralph of The Canadian Press and John Kryk of the Toronto Sun also had a great takes on Shepherd's story.
Ralph Story Kryk Story
Come Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (Apr. 26-28), it will be certain that fans and followers of Fort Hays State will have their attention on what happens in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys and venue for the 2018 NFL Draft. Tiger Nation is excited to see where Shepherd will land.
