Late last week, 29 NFL teams made the trip to East Lansing for Michigan State’s pro day. The host school is on a down cycle right now and might not have a single player drafted in 2024, but the scouts and coaches on hand did see a draft-worthy player at the Spartans showcase.
That would be Ferris State cornerback Shon Stephens. The standout from the D-II powerhouse some 100 miles to the northwest put on an athletic show.
Stephens had already garnered some NFL intrigue after picking off eight passes, including a pick-six, in his one season for the Bulldogs after transferring from West Liberty. He was a Cliff Harris Award finalist and a D-II All-American for a program that has churned out several NFL defensive players over the last few years, including CB Tavierre Thomas.
After his workout, expect even more NFL and draft media attention.
From a scout in attendance, his tracked data of Stephens’ workout:
Height: 5-foot-8.5 inches
Weight: 173 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds
Shuttle: 4.29 seconds
3-Cone: 6.99 seconds
Vertical jump: 36.5 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet
Stephens has a complicated back story. He is the nephew of longtime NFL LB Joey Porter and a cousin of Joey Porter Jr., a first-round pick in 2023. Stephens didn’t play for three seasons while tending to family issues and was denied transfer eligibility at Penn State in 2019 and Purdue in 2023 as a grad transfer. He chose Ferris State and backed up his eight INTs in 2022 with eight more at a new school and new scheme in 2023.
His size is a limiting factor, but the ball production and athletic ability could sneak Stephens into the final round of the 2024 NFL draft.
