Kelvin Sheppard

Kelvin Anthony Sheppard (born January 2, 1988) is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for 8 seasons. Sheppard played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.

After retiring as a player, Sheppard pursued a coaching career, which he began as the director of player development at Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2020. Sheppard joined the Detroit Lions as their outside linebackers coach in 2021 and coached the linebackers from 2022 to 2024 before being named their defensive coordinator in 2025.

Early life and college career Sheppard is a native of Stone Mountain, GA. Born to Kelvin and Tamara Sheppard, Sheppard attended Stephenson High School and was one of the top linebackers in the state of Georgia. Sheppard also participated in track and basketball and was named to the Atlanta-Constitution's Top 50 high school athletes. He attended Louisiana State University as a true freshman in 2006 and played a back-up linebacker role as a redshirt freshman in 2007. He started as a sophomore, playing all 13 games and starting at 5. As a senior, Sheppard started all 13 games in which the team earned a top 10 final ranking.

Playing career National Football League

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills selected Sheppard in the third round (68th overall) of the 2011 NFL draft.

Indianapolis Colts On April 29, 2013, Sheppard was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for Jerry Hughes. He played in 15 games with seven starts in 2013, recording 46 tackles and one sack.

On August 30, 2014, Sheppard was released by the Colts.

Miami Dolphins On September 8, 2014, Sheppard signed with the Miami Dolphins. In 2015, Sheppard played in all 16 games with 13 starts, recording a career-high 105 tackles.

New York Giants (first stint) On April 11, 2016, Sheppard signed with the New York Giants. He played in all 16 games, starting 10, recording 50 tackles and two passes defensed.

Chicago Bears On August 18, 2017, Sheppard signed with the Chicago Bears. He was released on September 2, 2017.

New York Giants (second stint) On November 7, 2017, Sheppard signed with the Giants. Sheppard recorded his first and second career interceptions on December 31, 2017, during Week 17 when he picked off Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins twice.

Detroit Lions On October 31, 2018, Sheppard was signed by the Detroit Lions.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2011 BUF 16 9 70 46 24 0.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2012 BUF 16 15 80 56 24 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2013 IND 15 7 46 20 26 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2014 MIA 14 1 24 17 7 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2015 MIA 16 13 105 75 30 0.0 13 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2016 NYG 16 11 50 30 20 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2017 NYG 7 6 49 32 17 0.0 2 2 17 0 12 4 0 0 0 0 2018 DET 7 1 5 5 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 107 63 429 281 148 3.0 25 2 17 0 12 11 1 1 0 0

Playoffs Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2013 IND 2 2 11 3 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2016 NYG 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 11 3 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Coaching career LSU In March 2020, Sheppard was named director of player development at Louisiana State University. He replaced Kevin Faulk who held the position prior to Sheppard.

Detroit Lions On February 3, 2021, Sheppard was hired by the Detroit Lions as their outside linebackers coach under head coach Dan Campbell. In 2022, Sheppard went from coaching the outside linebackers to the entire linebackers unit. On January 30, 2025, Sheppard was promoted to defensive coordinator, replacing Aaron Glenn, after his departure to become head coach of the New York Jets.

Personal life Sheppard is the first cousin of retired NFL wide receiver, Dwayne Harris. He has two children.