Sterling Shepard facts for kids
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Shepard in 2019
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| No. 17 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | February 10, 1993 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City) | ||||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma (2012–2015) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Sterling Clay Shepard (born February 10, 1993) is an American professional football player. He plays as a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL). Shepard played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. The New York Giants chose him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Sterling Shepard was born on February 10, 1993. He grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He went to Heritage Hall School where he was a star in high school football.
During his high school career, he ran for over 1,100 yards. He also caught 133 passes for more than 2,300 yards. He scored 38 touchdowns. In his final year, he scored 17 touchdowns from catches. After this amazing season, he was picked for the Under Armour All-American Game.
Shepard also played basketball and competed in track. He was very good at the long jump. Many top college football programs wanted him. He decided to play college football at the University of Oklahoma.
College Football Career
Shepard played for the Oklahoma Sooners from 2012 to 2015.
Freshman Year (2012)
As a first-year player in 2012, Shepard played in all 13 games. He caught 45 passes for 621 yards. He scored three touchdowns. His first college touchdown catch was against Kansas State.
Sophomore Year (2013)
In 2013, he started most games. He had 51 catches for 603 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a great game against Tulsa with eight catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He even scored a rushing touchdown in the 2014 Sugar Bowl.
Junior and Senior Years (2014-2015)
Shepard continued to shine in 2014. He had a career-high 215 receiving yards in one game against TCU. He finished his junior year with 51 catches for 970 yards and five touchdowns.
In his senior year in 2015, he had his best season. He caught 86 passes for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns. He made a game-winning touchdown catch in overtime against Tennessee. By the end of his college career, he had 233 catches for 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns.
College Statistics Overview
| Season | Team | Conf | Class | Pos | GP | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||
| 2012 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | FR | WR | 13 | 45 | 621 | 13.8 | 3 |
| 2013 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | SO | WR | 12 | 51 | 603 | 11.8 | 7 |
| 2014 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | JR | WR | 11 | 51 | 970 | 19.0 | 5 |
| 2015 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | SR | WR | 13 | 86 | 1,288 | 15.0 | 11 |
| Career | 49 | 233 | 3,482 | 14.9 | 26 | ||||
Professional NFL Career
Sterling Shepard was picked by the New York Giants in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was the 40th player chosen overall.
Playing for the New York Giants (2016-2023)
Shepard quickly became a starting wide receiver for the Giants.
2016 Season: A Strong Start
In his first NFL game, Shepard caught a touchdown pass. He had a season-high 117 receiving yards in his second game. He scored touchdowns in three games in a row later that season. Shepard finished his rookie year with 65 catches for 683 yards and eight touchdowns. The Giants made it to the playoffs that year. He was named to the Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team.
2017 Season: Big Plays
In 2017, Shepard had a 77-yard touchdown catch against the Philadelphia Eagles. He also had a career-high eleven catches for 142 yards in a game against the San Francisco 49ers. He ended the season with 59 catches for 731 yards and two touchdowns.
2018 Season: More Yards
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Shepard continued to be a key player in 2018. He had five catches for 167 yards against the Atlanta Falcons. He also scored the game-winning touchdown against the 49ers. He finished the year with 66 catches for 872 yards and four touchdowns.
2019 Season: New Contract
Before the 2019 season, Shepard signed a new contract with the Giants. He caught seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He ended the season with 57 catches for 576 yards and three touchdowns.
2020 Season: Overcoming Injury
Shepard missed some games in 2020 due to a toe injury. However, he came back strong. In the last game of the season, he had eight catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing). He finished with 66 catches for 656 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games.
2021 and 2022 Seasons: Injuries
In 2021, Shepard started the season well with 113 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Unfortunately, he suffered a serious Achilles injury later in the season. He played in only seven games.
In 2022, he played in three games before tearing his ACL (a knee ligament). This injury ended his season early.
2023 Season: Return to Play
Shepard signed a new contract with the Giants for 2023. He played in 15 games and scored one touchdown against Dallas.
Playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2024-Present)
2024 Season
In June 2024, Shepard joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was later added to their main team. He finished the 2024 season with 32 catches for 334 yards and one touchdown.
2025 Season
In March 2025, Shepard signed a new contract to stay with the Buccaneers.
NFL Career Statistics
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 65 | 683 | 10.5 | 42.7 | 8 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | NYG | 11 | 10 | 59 | 731 | 12.4 | 66.5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 66 | 872 | 13.2 | 54.5 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 2.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | NYG | 10 | 10 | 57 | 576 | 10.1 | 57.6 | 3 | 6 | 72 | 12.0 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | NYG | 12 | 12 | 66 | 656 | 9.9 | 54.7 | 3 | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | NYG | 7 | 6 | 36 | 366 | 10.2 | 52.3 | 1 | 1 | −9 | −9.0 | −1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | NYG | 3 | 2 | 13 | 154 | 11.8 | 51.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | NYG | 15 | 2 | 10 | 57 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | TB | 14 | 5 | 32 | 334 | 10.4 | 23.9 | 1 | 8 | 69 | 8.6 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 104 | 79 | 404 | 4,429 | 11.0 | 45.4 | 24 | 32 | 255 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 4 | 63 | 15.8 | 63 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | NYG | 0 | 0 | did not play due to injury | |||||||||||
| 2017 | TB | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 4 | 63 | 15.8 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal Life and Family
Sterling Shepard comes from a family of football players. His father, Derrick Shepard, also played wide receiver at Oklahoma and in the NFL. Sterling's uncles, Darrell and Woodie, also played football at Oklahoma.
Sterling Shepard has two daughters, Cali Clay Shepard and Cassie Snow Shepard.
