Eagles to sign small school underdog Shon Stephens following rookie minicamp tryout

Stephens has a very intriguing background since he did not play college football from 2019 to 2021. Instead, he took that time off to care for his sick mom. He was also denied twice by the NCAA when he attempted to transfer to Penn State and Purdue. 

In the lone two seasons of college football that he did play at Division II-level schools Ferris State and West Liberty, he made the best of them. 

Stephens posted 16 total interceptions in those two years and was named All-American in 2022. 

While he did not receive an NFL Combine invite, he still made a name for himself during the pre-draft process when he ran an impressive 40-yard dash in the 4.3’s and benched 225 pounds 19 times at Michigan State’s pro day. 

Stephens will now be tasked with competing in a stacked cornerback room that features top draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean and veterans Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, and James Bradberry. 

But from what Stephen's past hardships tell us, he won't let any of those guys get in his way of potentially making the final roster or practice squad.