Former Colorado Buffaloes WR Suffers Major NFL Setback

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Evan Massey | Last updated May 10, 2025 9:45 AM ET

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes saw a lot of talent head off to the NFL this offseason. While Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter were the headline names, there were plenty of other key players who are taking their talents to the next level.

One of those names is none other than wide receiver Will Sheppard.

Sheppard, who played his final college season at Colorado after playing his first four at Vanderbilt, did not get drafted. Instead, he originally agreed to sign an undrafted free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to a report from Greg Auman of Fox Sports, Sheppard's road to the NFL has hit a snag.

Auman has reported that Sheppard was not among the Buccaneers' announced undrafted rookie signings due to a failed physical.

Colorado receiver Will Sheppard was not among the Bucs’ announced undrafted rookie signings because of a failed physical. https://t.co/YcrNnDpT77
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 9, 2025

During the 2024 college football season with the Buffaloes, Sheppard played a key role within Deion Sanders' offense. He caught 48 passes for 621 yards and six touchdowns.

Sanders spoke out following the Buffaloes' Pro Day and shared his thoughts about Sheppard. It's clear that he's a big fan of the young wide receiver.

"This kid can play this game. I talked to a lot of the scouts earlier about how fond I am of his game and his consistency thereof," Sanders said. "He’s a big-time receiver. A 50-50 ball, he’s going to get that more times than not. And I just love his character and what he brings to the table, what he brings to the practice field, day in and day out. He’s a tremendous asset."

While this is a major setback for him to begin his professional career, Sheppard is a talented player and will simply need to put in some extra work to get things back on track.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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