Sheppard will join Maryland teammate Delmar Glaze in Las Vegas.
Maryland defensive back Ja’Quan Sheppard signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.
Sheppard will join Maryland teammate Delmar Glaze in Las Vegas, who was the team’s third-round pick this year. Additionally, former Maryland defensive back Jakorian Bennett is on the Raiders’ roster.
Sheppard, who spent his first four collegiate seasons at Cincinnati — where he led the Bearcats’ secondary in most statistical categories and earned an all-conference first-team selection as a senior — transferred to Maryland as a graduate student.
Expected to provide an immediate impact with the Terps, filling the void left to Deonte Banks and Jakorian Bennet’s departure to the pros, Sheppard struggled in the first half of the year. However, he found his footing in the team’s final seven games, debatably becoming its top defensive back en route to an All-Big Ten honorable mention. He finished the year leading the team with eight pass breakups, which also ranked fourth in the conference.
Sheppard capped his college career with a dominant performance at the Music City Bowl, earning a Pro Football Focus grade of 93.1.
Following this past season, Sheppard was one of four Terps selected to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, alongside Taulia Tagovailoa, defensive back Tarheeb Still and offensive lineman Gottlieb Ayezde.