Russell Shepard's NFL career is certainly off to an odd start. For a player that was not considered a high draft pick or even a draft pick at all, he is making headlines for his draft deal process. Shepard came out and said that he agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles during the draft, taking himself "off the board." However, the Eagles did not actually draft Shepard, they signed him as an undrafted free agent. So, what is this talk of signing during the draft? The Eagles are now backtracking on what Shepard said, claiming the wide receiver did not agree to a contract until after the draft.
Per NFL rules, a team is not allowed to sign a player to a contract during the draft. Naturally that is wh y Philadelphia is jumping to the defense quickly. Shepard told a local radio station that teams were calling him in the middle of the sixth round to ask about drafting him. He responded by saying he already signed was before the draft was over, believing Philadelphia was a perfect fit for him. In a released statement, the Eagles have said the claims are not true.
"Russell Shepard has not signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, we did come to terms on a contract with he and his agent after the draft was completed. We anticipate he, like all of the rookie free agents we have agreed to terms with, will take a physical examination upon arriving in Philadelphia prior to next week's rookie minicamp and then sign a contract," the Eagles said.
The NFL is not exactly pleased with these claims and is currently investigating Shepard's draft day. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is looking into the allegations. Shepard has said the claims both on radio and on Twitter, so denying it might be hard. He could claim to be joking or just simply bragging, something in which the NFL may or may not accept. The Eagles cannot use the "everyone does it" defense. It is unclear what kind of punishment would be brought down if the NFL determines that the Eagles did in fact sign Shepard in the middle of the draft. One source said the Eagles could lose potential draft picks. Shepard better hope he starts producing for the team quickly.