Darrius Allen Shepherd (born November 1, 1995) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver for the

St. Louis BattleHawks The St. Louis BattleHawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha A ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as th ...

, and was originally signed by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2020.

Early life

Shepherd was born one of three children to Amy Shepherd. His brother is named Xavier and his sister is named Cheyenne. Shepherd's father Louis, played college football for

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and his grandfather played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

Missouri State Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

and professionally for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

High school career

Shepherd attended

Blue Springs High School Blue Springs is a city located in the U.S. state of Missouri within Jackson County. Blue Springs is located east of downtown Kansas City and is the 9th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population w ...

Blue Springs, Missouri Blue Springs is a city located in the U.S. state of Missouri within Jackson County. Blue Springs is located east of downtown Kansas City and is the 9th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was ...

. Shepherd committed to

over an offer from Valparaiso.

College career

Shepherd finished his college career with the Bison recording 188 receptions for 2,841 yards and 20 touchdowns. Shepherd graduated in May 2018 from North Dakota State with a bachelor's degree in university studies while minoring in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

On May 6, 2019, Shepherd was signed by the

after being invited to rookie camp. He recorded his first NFL catch, a 1-yard reception from

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...

, during a Week 6 win over the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

on October 14, 2019. He was waived on October 29 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Packers on January 21, 2020. Shepherd was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 26, 2020. He was waived on December 1, 2020.

Kansas City Chiefs

On June 17, 2021, Shepherd signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. He was released on August 31, 2021.

Arizona Cardinals

On November 10, 2021, Shepherd was signed to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

practice squad. He was released on November 15, 2021.

Minnesota Vikings

On December 15, 2021, Shepherd was signed to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

practice squad. He was released on December 21, 2021.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On December 30, 2021, Shepherd was signed to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

practice squad. He was released on January 3, 2022.

New Jersey Generals

On February 23, 2022, Shepherd was drafted by the

New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...

Denver Broncos

On August 4, 2022, Shepherd signed with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. He was waived on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on October 11.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

*
North Dakota State Bison bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Darrius 1995 births Living people American football wide receivers Arizona Cardinals players Denver Broncos players Green Bay Packers players Kansas City Chiefs players Minnesota Vikings players New Jersey Generals (2022) players North Dakota State Bison football players People from Blue Springs, Missouri Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Missouri Sportspeople from the Kansas City metropolitan area St. Louis BattleHawks players