Manny Diaz, head football coach at Duke, shouts during the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Arizona State at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Next Breakout NFL Star From Duke

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Hugh Straine | Last updated Apr 19, 2026 3:24 PM ET

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Several Duke football players are getting ready to hear their names called in the 2026 NFL Draft this week. The draft will take place in Pittsburgh, PA, from April 23-25.

Guys like Chandler Rivers, Wesley Williams, and Brian Parker II are all likely to get drafted after the Blue Devils didn't see any of their former players taken in the 2025 draft. Head coach Manny Diaz has done as good a job as he could've been asked to through his first two years in Durham, and his player development is starting to show.

However, this current Blue Devils squad is still oozing with talent. Despite Diaz and Co. dealing with potentially the most chaotic offseason of any team in college football, losing star quarterback Darian Mensah and star wide receiver Cooper Barkate to the transfer portal at, quite literally, the last minute, there's still reason to believe Duke can be competitive in 2026.

Coming off their first ACC Championship since 1989 last season, it's unlikely Duke comes anywhere near replicating that success, but there are still a ton of players to keep an eye on, and a few who could start to generate looks at the next level.

Nate Sheppard Could Become NFL Prospect

Duke running back Nate Sheppard burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2025. The former 3-star recruit came into Durham at the bottom of the depth chart, but it only took a few weeks for the freshman to completely take over the backfield. After tallying five carries in each of the Blue Devils' first three games of the season, Sheppard went for at least 12 in every remaining game, and over 20 in all of Duke's last four of the year.

Sheppard ended his freshman season ranking second in the ACC in rushing yards (1,132), fifth in rushing touchdowns (11), sixth in average yards per carry (5.7), and fourth in average rushing yards per game (80.9)

Sheppard Owns Duke Backfield

With Jaquez Moore and Peyton Jones both out of the program, Sheppard is set to be the Blue Devils' workhorse back from the opening game of the season. Given the production the Louisiana native was able to put together in a bit of a backfield committee in 2025, Sheppard could emerge as the best running back in the ACC.

There might not be much hope for the Blue Devils to repeat as ACC champs, but Sheppard will certainly be a bright spot.

This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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