The college careers of LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard and kicker Josh Jasper were nothing short of spectacular. But the two have put their LSU careers in the past and are beginning their lives after college football.
Sheppard and Jasper have been in Mobile, Ala., this week to impress NFL teams and attempt to improve their draft stock while gearing up for the Senior Bowl at 3 p.m. Saturday.
“The Senior Bowl is the first job interview these guys will ever have,” said local NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier. “It’s the first time you have all the NFL coaches and front-office people all in one place. You want to make a good first impression.”
Sheppard, the hands-down leader of LSU’s defense this past season, has been the signal caller for the South team during Senior Bowl preparations.
“He took charge of that defense,” Detillier said. “He was putting everyone in place. That means a lot to those NFL teams.”
The Stone Mountain, Ga., native started three years for LSU, shining in his senior season with 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles.
Sheppard, who Detillier predicts will be a third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft on April 28, finished his career with 311 tackles, the ninth best total in school history.
Sheppard weighed in at 250 pounds at the Senior Bowl, larger than the 240 pounds he is listed as on LSU’s roster.
Jasper hasn’t been able to show off his skills as much as Sheppard during Senior Bowl preparations. He was seen as a spectator during Senior Bowl coverage on the NFL Network.
“He’s been doing a lot of watching, not a lot of kicking,” Detillier said. “They’re maybe working 10 kicks to start the practice, and then he’s doing a lot of watching.”
Detillier sees Jasper as a sixth-or seventh-round pick in the draft.
“In my 27 years of doing this, he’s the best field goal kicker I’ve seen come out of LSU,” Detillier said. “He’s a money kicker that makes those big kicks.”
Jasper, an All-American placekicker, connected on 47-of-56 field goals for 83.9 percent in his career.
The kicker’s ability to convert fake field goals made him an even bigger threat at LSU, Detillier said.
“He brings to the table the fact that he can pooch punt, and if you have a gadget play or two up your sleeve, he can do that, too,” Detillier said.
Defensive tackle Drake Nevis was expected to join Sheppard and Jasper for the Senior Bowl, but he decided to withdraw with a foot injury.
The Marrero native accumulated 56 tackles and 13 tackles for loss in his senior season.
“Drake is going to end up being an early second-round pick,” Detillier said. “If you go [to the Senior Bowl] and you are a little off, you could do as much harm as you do good. You’re better off rehabbing.”
Follow Michael Lambert on Twitter @TDR_Lambert.
 
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]