Former LSU middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard hasn’t stopped during the past few months.
The menacing 250-pound linebacker made his mark in LSU’s Cotton Bowl win with eight tackles. Since then, he has been traveling the country, trying to impress NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine.
But Sheppard’s life could change drastically after April’s NFL Draft, where he is projected to be a third-round pick.
If the NFL’s labor unrest isn’t settled by then, he could transform from a former captain to a mere spectator.
“I’d be right here [if a labor agreement isn’t reached],” Sheppard said Monday at LSU’s Pro Day. “I wouldn’t miss a game.”
At least Sheppard would be in good company. Many former LSU players plan to return to Baton Rouge if the NFL needs more time to settle its labor dispute.
“I’d be here with the guys I’ve come here with,” Sheppard said of the 11 others who participated in Pro Day. “We’d be here working out every day. We’d be spectators and fans up until the lockout’s over.”
The NFL Players Association filed an antitrust suit after decertifying last Friday, requesting for a preliminary injunction to lift the lockout. The trial will be held April 6.
Players can’t sign contracts until a new labor agreement is reached, even though the NFL Draft will be held April 28. But some agents have been known to front money to draftees until they sign deals.
Running back Stevan Ridley said he’ll also remain in Baton Rouge if he can’t practice with an NFL team.
“I’ll just be hanging out,” Ridley said. “It’s the most free time I’ll have since … second grade.”
Ridley has an alternative outlook on the grim situation.
“I don’t look at it in a bad way at all,” Ridley said. “I can come up here and work out. I have one priority, and that is to work out every day, study some film, and the rest of the day is mine.”
Kicker Josh Jasper said he’s optimistic a deal will be struck soon, but if not, he said he’ll join the swarm of players in Baton Rouge.
“More than likely I’ll come back here to live and do what I’m doing now,” Jasper said.
LSU coach Les Miles has always welcomed back previous players. He could see a record number of alumni this spring.
Dan Graff, a former LSU special teams standout, said many other past players, including Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn and San Francisco 49ers defensive back Curtis Taylor, will call Baton Rouge their home again in the coming months if no deal is complete.
“Curtis told me it’s so expensive where he is that it’s cheaper just to move back to Baton Rouge,” Graff said.
Former Tiger running back Jacob Hester, a three-year player for the San Diego Chargers, understands the reality of a possible sustained lockout.
“We can’t talk to coaches. We can’t talk to players. We can’t go to the facilities,” Hester said. “So what you have to do is be strong willed and do it yourself.”
Once business returns to normal, Hester said rookies will have a disadvantage compared to veterans like himself.
“May, June, July — those [organized team activities] are where you really learn the playbook,” Hester said. “You’ll be behind, and it could hinder your chances to be a starter.”
Current Tigers who have their eyes set on the NFL in the coming years are also taking notice.
“That’s the scariest thing for me as a guy that is leaving next year,” said senior left guard Josh Dworaczyk. “Is the NFL going to be what is just watched? Is it going to be the same? That’s the kind of stuff you have to look at.”
Follow Michael Lambert on Twitter @TDR_Lambert.
 
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]