Will Sheppard

William Miles Sheppard (born February 11, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Colorado Buffaloes.

Early life Sheppard was born in Ruston, Louisiana, and attended Mandeville High School. In Sheppard's high school career, he hauled in 126 receptions for 2,252 yards, and 33 touchdowns. Sheppard committed to play college football at Vanderbilt.

College career Vanderbilt In Sheppard's first season in 2020, he caught two passes for 30 yards. In week 5 of the 2021 season, he racked up eight receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a 30–28 win over UConn. Sheppard took a step up in the 2021 season, finishing the year with 43 receptions for 577 yards and four touchdowns. Sheppard finished his breakout 2022 season with 60 receptions for 776 yards and nine touchdowns, earning second-team all-SEC honors.

Ahead of the 2023 season, Sheppard was named preseason second-team all-SEC and a member of the Fred Biletnikoff Award watchlist. In the season opener, he hauled in six passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns in a 35–28 win over Hawaii. On December 3, 2023, Sheppard announced that he would be entering the transfer portal.

Colorado On December 14, 2023, Sheppard announced that he would be transferring to Colorado.

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft, Sheppard was originally set to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. However, his contract offer was rescinded following a failed physical on May 9, 2025. Sheppard would later participate as a rookie tryout in the Denver Broncos minicamp, but was not signed.

Green Bay Packers On July 21, 2025, Sheppard signed with the Green Bay Packers. He was released on August 26 as part of final roster cuts and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 26 and waived five days later. On December 3, Sheppard was re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with Green Bay on January 12, 2026.

On August 30, 2026, Sheppard was released by the Packers as part of final roster cuts. Subsequently, he was not picked up by any team and decided not to accept the Packers' offer of a spot on their practice squad.

Personal life Sheppard's younger brother Nate is a college football running back for the Duke Blue Devils.