NFL Draft Rumors: 5 players Patriots should take with Arizona pick
By John Buhler
Sterling Shepard of the Oklahoma Sooners may be slight of frame at 5’10”, 190 pounds, but he has this desire to compete from his four years in the Big 12 that will end up separating from the rest of the wide receiver draft class in 2016.
Shepard starred in his four years in Norman with 233 career catches for 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was a favorite target of quarterback Baker Mayfield who finished fourth in the 2015 Heisman Trophy race orchestrating new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid attack at Oklahoma.
Though he’s not built to handle aggressive press coverage out on an island, Shepard seems like a player that could thrive in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ aerial attack that tries to get the balls into quick, but small wide receivers in space.
Shepard has had to overcome a great deal of adversity, most notably the loss of his father, to become a star at Oklahoma. He seems like a high character, highly intelligent player that certainly fits the mold of the type of player the Patriots typically target in the draft process. It wouldn’t be shocking to see New England use the pick the organization obtained in the Jones trade with the Cardinals on Shepard.
Next: 2. Kenneth Dixon