Where will Nathan Shepherd’s best fit be in Saints’ new defense?

Just 93 days remain until the New Orleans Saints play their 2025 season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. It will be the 59th NFL season for the Saints, who are hoping to improve on their 5-12 record from last year. Wearing No. 93 for New Orleans currently is defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd, in his third year with the team. Shepherd is our Saints Player of the Day, so let’s take a closer look at his background and career.

Name (age): Nathan Shepherd (31)Hometown: Ajax, Ontario, CanadaPosition: Defensive tackleHeight, weight: 6-foot-4, 315 poundsRelative Athletic Score: 9.19College: Fort Hays State TigersDrafted: Round 3, 72nd overall in 2018 (New York Jets)NFL experience: 7 seasons2025 salary cap hit: $3,609,200

Shepherd actually began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, after graduating from J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate High School in Ontario. After two years there, he worked a number of odd jobs for a few years to afford tuition to Fort Hays State in Kansas. He’d eventually be offered an athletic scholarship by the Tigers. Shepherd paid off that reward by being named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Defensive player of the year in 2018.

His play at the Divisional II level attracted enough attention from NFL scouts that the Jets selected Shepherd with the seventh choice in Round 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft. Shepherd played in every game as a rookie, starting five. While he wouldn’t record a sack, he did have 5 QB hits and a tackle for loss. In all, Shepherd spent his first five NFL seasons with the Jets. Over that span, he collected 6 sacks with 13 tackles for loss and 33 QB hits while showcasing terrific athletic ability for an interior defender.

A free agent in 2023, the Saints signed Shepherd to a three-year deal. In his first year with New Orleans, Shepherd started all 17 games and played a career-high 594 snaps, 54% of the unit’s total. He had 3.5 sacks, a career best, along with 11 pressures and 4 stops for loss. Last season, Shepherd appeared in 16 of the team’s 17 games and achieved 3 tackles for loss with 1.5 sacks and 9 pressures.

Shepherd has been a 4-3 defensive tackle throughout his NFL career. New Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is expected to employ more 3-4 concepts into this year’s unit, leading to some question where Shepherd’s fit will be in the defense. He possesses good power, but even at 315 pounds, he does not fit the prototype of a traditional nose tackle.

Shepherd may see more snaps at end when the Saints play a three-man front. Staley has often preferred bigger players in that spot, and Shepherd has terrific athletic ability for his size. Regardless of where he lines up, Nathan Shepherd and the rest of the New Orleans defense looks for a bounce back year in Staley’s new scheme.