PFF scouting report: Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma

Here is the PFF draft profile for Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard, which incorporates PFF’s college grades and scouting intel from our team of analysts. To see all of PFF’s 2016 scouting reports, click here. 

Position fit:

Slot receiver — Shepard spent 68.9 percent of his snaps in the slot in 2015

Stat to know:

At 3.17, Shepard had the second-highest yards per route run average from the slot of any receiver in this draft class

What he does best:

• Slot machine. Had 1,015 yards and six touchdowns from the slot in 2015
• Good hands, just four drops from 89 catchable passes thrown his way
• Good acceleration in and out of cuts
• Tracks deep passes well in the air, and with a 41 inch vertical at the scouting combine, can go up and win the ball

Biggest concern:

• Doesn't quite have top end speed, though he certainly isn't slow, and ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the scouting combine
• At 5-10 and 194 pounds, is he purely a slot receiver in the NFL?

Player style comparison:

Julian Edelman, New England Patriots: Like Edelman, Shepard has as chance to develop into a top wide receiver out of the slot, something which can create a matchup nightmare for teams

Bottom line:

He might lack the height that many people want and expect from a top receiver, but in today's NFL a player who can do as much damage as he can out of the slot can be invaluable to an offense