Kelvin Sheppard
Kelvin Anthony Sheppard is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He previously played in the NFL for 8 seasons. Sheppard played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.
After retiring as a player, Sheppard pursued a coaching career, which he began as the director of player development at Louisiana State University in 2020. Sheppard joined the Detroit Lions as their outside linebackers coach in 2021 and coached the linebackers from 2022 to 2024 before being named their defensive coordinator in 2025.
Early life and college career
Sheppard is a native of Stone Mountain, GA. Born to Kelvin and Tamara Sheppard, Sheppard attended Stephenson High School and was one of the top linebackers in the state of Georgia. Sheppard also participated in track and basketball and was named to the Atlanta-Constitution's Top 50 high school athletes. He attended Louisiana State University as a true freshman in 2006 and played a back-up linebacker role as a redshirt freshman in 2007. He started as a sophomore, playing all 13 games and starting at 5. As a senior, Sheppard started all 13 games in which the team earned a top 10 final ranking.Playing career
National Football League
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills selected Sheppard in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft.Indianapolis Colts
On April 29, 2013, Sheppard was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for Jerry Hughes. He played in 15 games with seven starts in 2013, recording 46 tackles and one sack.On August 30, 2014, Sheppard was released by the Colts.