Small-school CB Shon Stephens stole the show at Michigan State’s pro day
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.
