NFL Draft 2018: Jets select Canada's Nathan Shepherd in Round 3

Rudi Schuller

•
NFL Draft 2018: Jets select Canada's Nathan Shepherd in Round 3 image

With the eighth pick of the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the New York Jets selected Ajax, Ont., native Nathan Shepherd.

A 24-year-old defensive lineman out of Fort Hays State University, he has one of the most interesting stories of the players available at the three-day event. A former factory worker who had to leave Simon Fraser University after just one season due to self-described financial issues, Shepherd paid his own way years later as a walk-on at Fort Hays. 

SIGN UP to stream the NFL Draft LIVE on DAZN in Canada

"I felt like if I wanted to pursue this dream, I needed to be the one to invest in myself," Shepherd told reporters last week, as quoted by USA Today. "And if I could do that, that’s how I knew it was real for me." 

The investment paid off as Shepherd got to hear his name called by Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa on Friday night.

Shepherd caught the Jets' attention in January at the Senior Bowl, where he impressed team general manager Mike Maccagnan.

"He came into practices [at the Senior Bowl] and did quite well," Maccagnan told reporters Friday. "That kind of put him on our radar."

The Jets continued to keep tabs on Shepherd at various combines, with the Canadian boosting his stock at every opportunity.

"These are the guys that you get excited about. Maccagnan said. "Although they're slightly older, they're interesting guys that aren't in the normal path of high school to college in big programs.

"He came from Canada, had an interesting start to his [college] career where he took a little time and worked [outside of football]. When you find a guy who has overcome a lot of things like that ... we think he has a lot of potential, but also the character and work ethic to fulfil it." 

Rudi Schuller