Darrius Shepherd, a 5-foot-11, 186-pound rookie out of North Dakota State was originally signed by Green Bay as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2019, after participating in the team’s rookie orientation on a tryout basis. He appeared in six games for the Packers this season, mainly contributing on special teams. Shepherd played in 57 games for the Bison, recording 188 receptions for 2,841 yards (15.1 avg.) and 20 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 31 times for 219 yards (7.1 avg.) and a score and returned 44 punts for 578 yards (13.1 avg.) and a TD. As a senior, Shepherd was named to the STATS FCS All-America third team as a punt returner. He will wear No. 10 for the Packers.
Played in 57 games with 36 starts over four years at North Dakota State, helping the Bison compile a 54-5 record (.915) from 2015-18 and capture three NCAA Division I FCS national championships (2015, 2017-18) and four consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference titles…Finished second all-time at NDSU with 188 receptions and 2,841 receiving yards (15.1 avg.), and was sixth with 20 career TD receptions...Ended fifth on the NDSU career chart for punt return yards (578) and sixth in punt return attempts (44) and yards per return (13.14)...Also ran the ball 31 times for 219 yards (7.1 avg.) and a TD…In 14 career NCAA playoff games, made 37 catches for 591 yards (16.0 avg.) and five TDs...Finished as NDSU’s leading receiver and punt returner in each of his final three seasons…Started all 15 games as a senior in 2018, totaling 62 catches for 1,065 yards (17.2 avg.) and nine TDs…Added seven rushing attempts for 41 yards (5.9 avg.) and 19 punt returns for a career-high 296 yards (15.6 avg.)…Earned All-America honors as a punt returner from Phil Steele’s College Football (second team) and STATS FCS (third team)…Named first-team All-MVFC as a WR and return specialist, only the second offensive player in league history to earn double first-team honors...Elected as a team captain for the second straight season...Earned the MVFC President’s Council Academic Award...Named to the 2019 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society…Posted five receptions for 118 yards (23.6 avg.) and a TD vs. South Dakota State (Sept. 29)…Tallied six receptions for a career-high 126 yards (21.0 avg.) and two punt returns for 103 yards (51.5 avg.) vs. Illinois State (Oct. 20)…Registered a career-high eight catches for 99 yards (12.4 avg.) vs. Youngstown State (Nov. 3)…Named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Division I championship game with five receptions for 125 yards (25.0 avg.) in the win over Eastern Washington (Jan. 5, 2019), including two TD catches (23 and 78 yards)…Played in 14 games with eight starts as a junior in 2017, totaling 41 receptions for 559 yards (13.6 avg.) and a TD…Also added 15 punt returns for 106 yards (7.1 avg.) and three carries for 10 yards (3.3 avg.)…Recorded season highs with seven receptions for 95 yards (13.6 avg.) at South Dakota State (Nov. 4)…Caught his only TD of the season in the NCAA Division I championship game vs. James Madison (Jan. 6, 2018), a 50-yarder that gave NDSU a 14-3 lead in the second quarter...Finished the game with six receptions for 74 yards (12.3 avg.)…Played in 13 games with eight starts as a sophomore in 2016, totaling 45 receptions for 642 yards (14.3 avg.) and five TDs and 12 rushing attempts for a career-high 109 yards (9.1 avg.) and a TD…Also contributed five punt returns for 111 yards (22.2 avg.) and a TD…Scored the only rushing TD of his career on a 31-yard dash vs. Illinois State (Oct. 1)…Named MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 84 yards for a TD, the fourth-longest punt return in school history, vs. Indiana State (Nov. 12)…Made four receptions for a season-high 105 yards (26.3 avg.), including a season-long 67-yard TD, vs. South Dakota State (Dec. 10) in a NCAA Division I quarterfinal playoff game…Played in all 15 games with five starts as a redshirt freshman in 2015, totaling 40 receptions for 575 yards (14.4 avg.) and five TDs and nine carries for 59 yards (6.6 avg.)…Added five punt returns for 65 yards (13.0 avg.)…Named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team…Led all Bison WRs in the NCAA playoffs with nine catches for 114 yards (12.7 avg.)…Posted a season-high six receptions for 76 yards (12.7 avg.) to go along with four punt returns for 65 yards (16.3 avg.) vs. North Dakota (Sept. 19)…Caught the game-winning TD pass from QB Carson Wentz over two defenders in the back corner of the end zone with 35 seconds remaining vs. Northern Iowa (Oct. 10)…Missed the first half of the game with an injury but returned in the second half to make three receptions for 61 yards (20.3 avg.) and two fourth-quarter TDs…Tallied three receptions for a season-high 78 yards (26.0 avg.) and a TD and two carries for 4 yards (2.0 avg.) vs. Western Illinois (Nov. 7)…Earned his degree in university studies with a minor in psychology…Attended Blue Springs (Mo.) High School, where he lettered in football for four years, seeing action at WR, DB and as a punt returner...Earned All-Suburban 6 Conference honors three times at WR…From 2012-13, helped the Wildcats compile a 27-1 record, including a 24-game win streak, en route to winning back-to-back Class 6 state championships…Finished his career with 3,534 all-purpose yards and 35 TDs…Totaled 134 receptions for 2,369 yards (17.7 avg.) and 26 TDs…Returned 29 punts for 502 yards (17.3 avg.) and scored on a 49-yard punt return in the 2013 state title game…Defensively, tallied 25 tackles (23 solo), two tackles for a loss, two INTs (both returned for TDs), eight passes defensed and a fumble recovery…Also lettered in track for three years…Was a member of the Wildcats’ state runner-up track and field team in 2013, running the anchor leg on the eighth-place 4x400-meter relay team…His father, Louis Shepherd III, played football at the University of Missouri…His grandfather, Louis Shepherd II, played basketball for Missouri State and was drafted by the ABA’s Los Angeles Stars…Lives in Blue Springs, Mo. …Given name Darrius Allen Shepherd; born in Kansas City, Mo.
