The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been one of the top teams in terms of acquiring talented wide receivers, and one of the names people were excited about was Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Will Sheppard. He was not selected in the 2025 NFL Draft but reportedly signed with the team as an undrafted free agent.
Sheppard had a productive season with Colorado in 2024 after spending his first four collegiate seasons with the Vanderbilt Commodores, as he had 48 catches for 621 yards (12.9 yards per reception) with six touchdown catches.
However, matters took a confusing turn when Sheppard was not seen on the field for the Buccaneers’ rookie minicamp. Let’s take a deeper dive into why this happened.
Why Is Will Sheppard Not at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Rookie Minicamp?
Sheppard has been one of the more intriguing players in the undrafted free agent pool after not being one of the 257 players selected. People noticed that his name was not on the list of the players signed with the team and was not in attendance at minicamp.
Fox Sports reporter Greg Auman was asked on social media why Sheppard was not present at minicamp.
Colorado receiver Will Sheppard was not among the Bucs’ announced undrafted rookie signings because of a failed physical. https://t.co/YcrNnDpT77
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 9, 2025
The Buccaneers announced the signing of 15 undrafted free agents following the draft and they did add a wide receiver in Garrett Greene from West Virginia. The team would also draft two wide receivers in Emeka Egbuka in the first round and Tez Johnson in the seventh round.
Following the Colorado Buffaloes pro day in early April, coach Deion Sanders discussed what he thought of Sheppard’s game and mentality.
“This kid can play this game. I talked to a lot of the scouts earlier about how fond I am of his game and his consistency thereof. He’s a big-time receiver. A 50-50 ball, he’s going to get that more times than not. And I just love his character and what he brings to the table, what he brings to the practice field, day in and day out. He’s a tremendous asset.”
It will be interesting to learn what caused the failed physical and if it is something that will keep Sheppard sidelined for an extended period. Given the Buccaneers clearly had interest in getting a closer look at him, they could well bring him in for mandatory minicamp in June or for training camp when it kicks off in late July.