The Jets continued whittling down their number of unsigned draft picks on Friday.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Jets have signed third-round choice Nathan Shepherd to a four-year deal. Shepherd is the fourth of six 2018 picks to agree to a deal, leaving first-round quarterback Sam Darnold and fourth-round tight end Chris Herndon as the unsigned members of the group.
Shepherd took an unusual path to the NFL. He grew up in Canada and opened his college career as a linebacker at Simon Fraser University, but dropped out to go to work because he couldn’t afford tuition. He returned to school at Fort Hays State in 2015 and moved to defensive line after moving up to 315 pounds.
All of that makes Shepherd older than the typical rookie at 25, but he impressed scouts during games and at the Senior Bowl before landing with the Jets last month.
