Shamar Stephen

Shamar Stephen
refer to caption
Stephen with the Vikings in 2015
No. 93, 98, 99
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1991-02-25) February 25, 1991 (age 33)
Brookville, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:309 lb (140 kg)
Career information
High school:Long Island Lutheran
(Brookville, New York)
College:UConn
NFL draft:2014 / round: 7 / pick: 220
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-AAC (2013)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:207
Sacks:4.5
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Shamar Irvin Stephen (/ˈstɛfən/ STEF-ən; born February 25, 1991) is a former American football defensive end.[1] He played college football at UConn. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round, 220th overall, of the 2014 NFL draft. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Early life

Stephen attended Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School in Brookville, New York, where he was a two-sport standout playing football and basketball.[2] As a sophomore, he played both on defense and offense and compiled 9 tackles and a sack while also rushing for 91 yards on 18 carries (5.1 avg.) and a touchdown. As a junior, he started every game at defensive tackle and recorded 41 tackles and 7 sacks. While serving as the team captain in his senior season, he earned All-American Lutheran Team honors after finishing his final prep year with 57 tackles and 12.0 sacks along with 2 blocked kicks, helping lead the Crusaders to a 7–2 record.[3] In basketball, he was teammates with current Philadelphia 76ers player Tobias Harris as a sophomore.

College career

Stephen played college football at Connecticut from 2009 to 2013, where he was named a team captain prior to his senior season and also winning team MVP following the season.[2] He was selected to the All-American Athletic Conference Second Team also in his senior season.[2] Stephen was selected and participated in the 2014 Senior Bowl following the season at Connecticut.[2]

College statistics

Regular season statistics Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Season Team GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck Tfl PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR FR YDS
2010 Connecticut 12 7 27 13 14 2.0 4.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2011 Connecticut 12 12 17 7 10 0.0 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 Connecticut 12 10 26 14 12 0.0 2.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2013 Connecticut 12 12 60 21 39 3.0 10.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career stats 48 41 130 55 75 5.0 17.0 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+7⁄8 in
(1.95 m) 		309 lb
(140 kg) 		33+1⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 5.25 s 1.83 s 3.02 s 4.89 s 7.81 s 30.5 in
(0.77 m)		 8 ft 7 in
(2.62 m)		 25 reps
All values from NFL Combine and Pro Day[4]

Minnesota Vikings

2014 season

Stephen was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round (220th overall pick) of the 2014 NFL draft,[5] becoming the first player from the University of Connecticut drafted by the team since running back Vince Clements in 1971.[6]

Stephen enjoyed a solid rookie season, with only first-round linebacker Anthony Barr being more productive among Vikings' rookie defenders. In the preseason, he received first-team snaps at nose tackle and lined up in both the nose and three-technique spots. He played 42 snaps against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, getting the second-most playing time of any Vikings defender. Stephen played in all 16 regular season games, the only Vikings rookie to do so, and started three times. He made his professional debut in the Vikings' season opener against the St. Louis Rams on September 7, 2014, notching two total tackles. He started his second career game against the Panthers in Week 13 and notched a career-best 10 tackles, with five solo stops. In the loss at Miami in Week 16, he had a season-high four quarterback hurries. On November 23, he made his first career start against the Green Bay Packers, replacing Sharrif Floyd at defensive tackle and matching his then career-best with four tackles in the game.

2015 season

In his second season, Stephen played in the first five games of the season for the Vikings. In Week 2, he recovered his first career fumble against the Detroit Lions after he fell on a Theo Riddick fumble forced by safety Harrison Smith. The following week, he had season-highs in defensive snaps with 20 and tackles with two against the San Diego Chargers.

On October 18, 2015, Stephen suffered a season-ending toe injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6 and was carted off the field. The Vikings would go on to place him on injured reserve on October 20, 2015.[7]

2016–2017 seasons

In 2016, Stephen started all 16 games, recording a career-high 39 tackles.

In 2017, Stephen was moved to a reserve role, starting only one game in 15 games played, recording 28 tackles.

Seattle Seahawks

Stephen with the Seahawks in 2018

On March 24, 2018, Stephen signed with the Seattle Seahawks.[8]

Return to Minnesota

On March 13, 2019, Stephen returned to the Vikings, signing a three-year, $12.45 million contract.[9] In week 4 against the Chicago Bears, Stephen recorded his first sack of his second tenure with the Vikings on Chase Daniel in the 16–6 loss.[10]

Stephen was released on March 16, 2021.[11]

Denver Broncos

Stephen signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos on April 8, 2021.[12][13]

NFL statistics

Season Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Season Team GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck Sfty PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR Yds
2014 Minnesota Vikings 16 3 23 13 10 0.0 -- 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 Minnesota Vikings 5 0 2 1 1 0.0 -- 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0
2016 Minnesota Vikings 16 16 38 16 22 0.0 -- 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0
2017 Minnesota Vikings 15 1 27 8 19 1.0 -- 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 Seattle Seahawks 15 14 22 8 14 2.0 -- 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 Minnesota Vikings 15 15 20 14 6 1.0 -- 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 1
2020 Minnesota Vikings 16 16 32 18 14 0.5 -- 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 Denver Broncos 17 0 32 10 22 0.0 -- 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career stats 115 65 196 88 108 4.5 -- 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 3 1

References

  1. ^ "Denver Broncos' depth chart". Denverbroncos.com.
  2. ^ a b c d "Connecticut Profile". Uconnhuskies.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  3. ^ "Shamar Stephen Bio - UCONNHUSKIES.COM - the Official Website of the University of Connecticut Huskies". Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  4. ^ "2019 Draft Scout Rankings". Nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  5. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "2014 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings Select Shamar Stephen". dailynorseman.com. May 10, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  7. ^ "Vikings Place Shamar Stephen on IR, Sign Free Agent Kenrick Ellis". Vikings.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  8. ^ Drovetto, Tony (March 24, 2018). "Seahawks Sign Defensive Tackle Shamar Stephen". Seahawks.com.
  9. ^ Peters, Craig (March 13, 2019). "Vikings Open Free Agency on Familiar Terms with Barr, Stephen". Vikings.com.
  10. ^ "Bears lose Trubisky, shut down Cook in 16-6 win over Vikings". ESPN. September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Smith, Eric (March 16, 2021). "Vikings Release Defensive Tackle Shamar Stephen". Vikings.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  12. ^ DiLalla, Aric (April 6, 2021). "Broncos agree to terms with DL Shamar Stephen". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "2021 NFL Transactions: Signings – April". NFL.com. Retrieved April 9, 2021.