Will Sheppard
American football player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Miles Sheppard (born February 11, 2002)[1] is an American professional football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Colorado Buffaloes.
Ruston, Louisiana, U.S.
| No. 82 – Green Bay Packers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 11, 2002 Ruston, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Mandeville (Mandeville, Louisiana) |
| College | Vanderbilt (2020–2023) Colorado (2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
Sheppard was born in Ruston, Louisiana, and attended Mandeville High School. In Sheppard's high school career, he hauled in 126 receptions for 2,252 yards, and 33 touchdowns.[2] Sheppard committed to play college football at Vanderbilt.[3]
College career
Vanderbilt
In Sheppard's first season in 2020, he caught two passes for 30 yards.[4] In week 5 of the 2021 season, he racked up eight receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a 30–28 win over UConn.[5] Sheppard took a step up in the 2021 season, finishing the year with 43 receptions for 577 yards and four touchdowns.[4] In week 3 of the 2022 season, he tallied ten receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Northern Illinois.[6] Sheppard finished his breakout 2022 season with 60 receptions for 776 yards and nine touchdowns, earning second-team all-SEC honors.[7]
Ahead of the 2023 season, Sheppard was named preseason second-team all-SEC and a member of the Fred Biletnikoff Award watchlist.[8][9] In the season opener, he hauled in six passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns in a 35–28 win over Hawaii.[10] On December 3, 2023, Sheppard announced that he would be entering the transfer portal.[11]
Colorado
On December 14, 2023, Sheppard announced that he would be transferring to Colorado.[12]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.59 s | 1.58 s | 2.64 s | 4.31 s | 40.5 in (1.03 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | |||
| All values from Pro Day[13] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft, Sheppard was originally set to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. However, his contract offer was rescinded following a failed physical on May 9, 2025.[14] Sheppard would later participate as a rookie tryout in the Denver Broncos minicamp, but was not signed.
Green Bay Packers
On July 21, 2025, Sheppard signed with the Green Bay Packers.[15] He was released on August 26 as part of final roster cuts and signed to the practice squad the next day.[16][17] He was promoted to the active roster on November 26 and waived five days later.[18][19] On December 3, Sheppard was re-signed to the practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract with Green Bay on January 12, 2026.[21]
Personal life
Sheppard's younger brother Nate, is a college football running back for the Duke Blue Devils.[22]