New York Giants: 2016 Rookies progress report
Sterling Shepard
The rave reviews Sterling Shepard garnered at last year’s rookie and mandatory minicamps were well deserved. He came out guns-blazing in his rookie season, finishing with eight touchdowns and 683 yards while playing alongside a pure athletic freak (Odell Beckham Jr., in case you couldn’t figure that one out). The buzz around him continues this offseason, as him and Eli Manning are like two peas in a pod, connecting for long passes and touchdowns left-and-right.
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If that’s not enough to make Giants fans love and appreciate the guy — last year’s performance is still not satisfying enough for him. When asked what his areas of improvement lie, Shepard responded with (per NFL.com):
"“I feel like I could have gotten a lot more YAC (yards after catch) yardage last year. That’s something that I looked at on film and I want to get better on.”"
What more can you ask for in a wide receiver?
Increasing his YAC would further separate Shepard from a very crowded Giants receiving corps as he will be competing for catches with Beckham, Brandon Marshall and Evan Engram. So he will have to make the most out of each and every pass he receives. Giants fans should be excited to see how much more Shepard brings to the table this year, as he has some serious potential.