Will Sheppard was the lifeblood of the Vanderbilt passing offense for the better part of four years, and now he has transferred to Colorado with the hopes of completing his 2025 NFL Draft scouting report. What more does he need to show NFL evaluators?
Will Sheppard’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 205 pounds
- Position: Wide Receiver
- School: Colorado
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
When he arrived at Vanderbilt as a three-star recruit in 2020, Sheppard wasn’t on anyone’s radar. And it stayed that way for a year, as Sheppard acclimated himself in a two-catch, 30-yard true freshman campaign.
Since then, however, Sheppard has quietly been one of the most consistent and most productive WRs in college football while playing in a passing offense that hasn’t had much stability at quarterback.
From 2021 to 2023, Sheppard amassed 150 receptions for 2,037 yards and 21 touchdowns. He’s averaged almost 700 yards and seven TDs per season — and now, he gets to catch passes from highly-touted 2025 NFL Draft prospect, Shedeur Sanders.
Sheppard could be a hidden gem in the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, but if he can play up to his potential with the Buffaloes, he won’t be hidden much longer.
Sheppard’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Has a tall, lean frame with good mass and solid proportional length.
- Explosive, quick-striding WR with a smooth throttle to exploit coverage aberrations.
- Springy, light-footed athlete for his size and an extremely loose, elastic runner.
- Has enough long-strider speed to stack defenders off stems when working vertically.
- Flexible, snappy route runner who can pinch tight angles on digs with minimal strain.
- Fluid separator with easy hip sink and efficient plant-and-drive footwork on breaks.
- Can actively manipulate blind spots with throttle and use deliberate eyes to deceive.
- Effectively weaponizes his fluidity and bursts as a route runner with high leverage IQ.
- Has shown he can effectively use his frame to wall off DBs from working back to the ball.
- Has flexibility and body control to corral high-difficulty passes with little time to react.
- Able to extend beyond his frame and naturally snare high passes when he has space.
- Flashes the ability to secure passes over the middle of the field with diamond technique.
- Exceedingly twitchy WR after the catch who can redirect and snap into phase to evade.
- Stubborn RAC threat with fluidity, agility, and grating play strength and leg churn.
- Quality run blocker with great leverage IQ, situational awareness, and willing physicality.
Weaknesses
- Explosiveness, while exceptional, might be a notch below the quantifiably elite mark.
- Doesn’t quite have elite breakaway speed once he has vertical separation.
- At times, takes too many steps chopping feet at stems, allowing DBs to regain leverage.
- Is at times late to flip around and prepare for back-shoulder throws on the boundary.
- Sometimes lets the ball into his body when tracking throws on the vertical plane.
- Can be late to get hands in the right spot when making difficult adjustments in-stride.
- Doesn’t have the elite hand strength to consistently haul in passes amid contact.
- Isn’t always proficient at fighting through contact at stems or outmuscling DBs.
- Despite an improved weight figure in 2024, play strength needs to translate on the field.
- Doesn’t have the mass or frame density to bowl through successive tackle attempts.
- Occasionally overshoots blocking angles in space and diverts upright, limiting sustain.
- May be an older rookie as a redshirt senior.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Sheppard grades out as a top-100 prospect, who could contend for Day 2 capital next April. At times, he was overlooked in an otherwise unspectacular Vanderbilt passing attack; Sheppard has a chance to gain the respect he deserves on a greater stage.
Sheppard might not be quantifiably elite in any one area, but he is incredibly solid across the board, and that’s what will allow him to stay productive at the professional level.
At 6’3″ and 205 pounds, Sheppard is a fluid, explosive athlete with a skill set conducive to independent separation. He can sink in and out of breaks and sustain acceleration. He can manipulate spacing and deceive defenders — and at the catch point, he’s a natural contortionist whose basketball background shows up in his box-out ability.
Sheppard’s hand technique and hand strength can still improve, and his lack of elite vertical speed may put a slight cap on his ceiling. But with his separation framework and great over-arching size-athleticism combination, there is certainly a role waiting for him.
As a movement-Z receiver with a full route tree and alignment versatility, Sheppard has the makings of a solid WR2 in an NFL offense who can keep the chains moving, come up big in the red zone, and make life easier for other receivers.