Eagles' UDFA to watch Shon Stephens ends practice on a high note
The Philadelphia Eagles' most heated competition to watch this offseason is at cornerback. There are 14 cornerbacks currently on the Eagles' 90-man roster. And maybe half of them will make the final 53-man roster. During Thursday's OTAs session, three cornerbacks logged an interception. Isaiah Rodgers recorded one off of Kenny Pickett while Mekhi Gardner intercepted […]
The Philadelphia Eagles' most heated competition to watch this offseason is at cornerback.
There are 14 cornerbacks currently on the Eagles' 90-man roster. And maybe half of them will make the final 53-man roster.
During Thursday's OTAs session, three cornerbacks logged an interception.
Isaiah Rodgers recorded one off of Kenny Pickett while Mekhi Gardner intercepted Jalen Hurts. But the one interception that has sparked a lot of conversation came from UDFA Shon Stephens.
PhiladelphiaEagles.com's Fran Duffy laid out the details of Stephens' interception which ended Thursday's practice:
"A great story to follow will be that of undrafted rookie Shon Stephens, who pulled in an interception of quarterback Tanner McKee to close practice. Stephens (5-9, 180 pounds) participated in the Rookie Minicamp on a tryout basis before earning a spot on the 90-man roster. The Ferris State product jumped an in-breaking route and got his teammates fired up in the end zone afterward."
What Makes Stephens So Intriguing?
Stephens comes with a hardship background, which makes it easy to root for him.
The Bakersfield, California native was at Missouri Southern State before he stepped away from football to care for his sick mom who had suffered a heart attack.
In an attempt to make up for time away from football, Stephens tried to transfer to a bigger Division I school to get more eyes on him. Both Penn State and Purdue expressed interest in him, but he was denied twice by the NCAA.
"I wasn’t trying to, you know, play tricks on the NCAA or nothing. I was just trying to get that year back and maximize my potential, play at the highest level that I can," Stephens said via 9&10 News. But I wouldn’t take anything back or change anything, you know, I had to do what I had to do for my mom regardless."
After three seasons away from football, Stephens landed at West Liberty before transferring to Ferris State.
Stephens made the best of the two seasons he played at the D2 level, posting 16 total interceptions. He was named All-American in 2022 and was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Back of the Year in 2023. He was also a first-team All-GLIAC player and a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award which honors the best defensive player out of a small college.
Stephens caught the attention of many national scouts during the pre-NFL Draft process after an impressive performance at Michigan State's Pro Day where he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and clocked a 6.99 3-cone drill.
Athleticism runs in the family as Stephens is also the nephew of 13-year NFL veteran Joey Porter Sr. and the cousin of Pittsburgh Steelers' former 32nd overall pick cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
