Over the next few months, we’ll be breaking down all undrafted free agents signed by the Jets. We continue today with a look at wide receiver DT Sheffield.
The 25-year old Sheffield is listed at 5’7” and 175 pounds and was undrafted out of Rutgers. He caught 44 passes for Rutgers last year having transferred from North Texas where he was an all-AAC first-teamer. He also played for Washington State and at the JUCO level.
Background
Sheffield was a quarterback in high school and was not heavily recruited, so he opted to play at the JUCO level for Northwest Mississippi CC.
He had 20 catches for 358 yards and five touchdowns in a pandemic-shortened six-game season in 2020, then broke out with 57 catches for 1,089 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021. This earned him NJCAA all-American first team honors and he was also named an all-MACCC first-teamer.
In 2022, Sheffield had 58 catches and 11 touchdowns but his yardage total dropped to 776. He was once again an all-MACCC first team selection and an honorable mention all-American.
In 2023, he finally earned a long-awaited shot at the FBS level but would last just two games with Washington State, for whom he caught five passes.
Having transferred to North Texas, Sheffield broke out and earned all-AAC first-team honors in 2024 as he had 66 catches and 822 yards and let the conference with 11 touchdowns. He was named as an all-AAC first-teamer as a receiver and third-teamer as a return specialist.
His final season saw him transferring again, this time to Rutgers. He had 44 catches, 577 yards and five scores in his lone season with them.
Sheffield was not expected to be drafted and the Jets signed him to an undrafted free agent contract that included low guarantees.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Sheffield brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
We recently broke down Caullin Lacy, who we described as undersized, but Sheffield is even smaller. However, he displayed good strength for his size with 15 bench press reps at his pro day.
His other athletic numbers were also good as he ran 4.45 and posted good explosiveness and agility numbers, including a 42-inch vertical jump.
Sheffield has played almost exclusively in the slot during his career and is also someone who can be effective going in motion.
He carried five times for 83 yards at the FBS level, with 75 of those coming on a touchdown run.
Deep threat
Sheffield’s speed and acceleration mean he can get downfield and be a deep threat and he has had a handful of big plays down the field over the past two seasons. He shows a good ability to locate and track with the ball in the air.
Sheffield posted a respectable 65 percent catch rate over the course of his career and has shown he can make some tough catches in traffic.
However, he can be a bit of a body catcher at times and has been guilty of some frustrating focus drops. He only had five drops in each of the past two seasons, though so his drop rate was not alarmingly high.
He hasn’t made many highlight-reel type grabs during his career.
Sheffield’s quickness and burst can be an asset when he runs routes but his overall route-running needs some refinement as he doesn’t always make sharp breaks or use deception to set up his breaks but is most effective when he does.
As you’d anticipate, he is effective on slant routes, crossers and on flats and out routes.
Sheffield is an option around the goal line, as shown by the fact that he had double digits in touchdowns in three of his six college seasons.
While he lacks the size to be a fade or jump ball option, his quickness in short areas means he can get open or get into the end zone on short passes.
After the catch
Sheffield really showcased his abilities after the catch in 2024 as he regularly displayed his elusiveness and ability to slip tackles.
On screen/pop passes caught behind the line of scrimmage, he had almost 300 yards and two scores on 33 catches in 2024.
When he arrived at Rutgers, they used him more on downfield routes and he wasn’t really part of the screen game.
He had three fumbles on offense at the FBS level, all in 2024.
Sheffield’s lack of size means he is not very effective as a blocker and his poor performance grades from analytical sites like Pro Football Focus reflect this fact.
Physicality
Sheffield has a surprisingly decent record on contested catches, even though he’s probably better used in situations where you can get it to him in space.
He battles for yardage as a ball carrier but is not much of a blocker, as noted, and will allow defensive backs to disrupt his routes too much.
Special Teams
Sheffield has plenty of experience of returning both kicks and punts in college. At the FBS level, he was used more as a punt returner, posting a respectable average of over 11 yards per return. He had two punt return touchdowns at the JUCO level.
He only muffed one punt at the FBS level.
Instincts and Intelligence
Sheffield has played on four different teams over the past four seasons, so he has had experience in a variety of different offenses which could serve him well as he learns yet another new system with the Jets.
During his time with the Cougars, he had the play where his mistake led to him being berated by a teammate and which could have been part of the reason why he quit the program.
He had one pre-snap penalty in college.
Sheffield has shown good determination to eventually get to the FBS level and have some success after initially being overlooked. It’s not going to be easy to repeat the trick at the NFL level but he clearly has perseverance and drive.
The reasons for him bailing on Washington State so early on were kept private at the time, but could have been connected to the above incident where he got in his teammate’s way. However, his comments at North Texas suggested all he wanted was an opportunity so we can perhaps conclude that’s what prompted him to quit the program.
Sheffield is diminutive, so could be a durability concern, but hasn’t been affected by injuries so far during his career.
Scheme Fit
Sheffield was exclusively a slot receiver at the FBS level so that’s where he will compete for playing time in preseason. Realistically, though, his best shot at making the team would be if he excels on returns.
Conclusions
You can never rule out a return specialist from being able to make an impression and Sheffield’s excellent athletic numbers suggest he may have been overlooked by other NFL teams.
However, with Isaiah Williams and Kene Nwangwu having played so well last year, and Caullin Lacy having significant guarantees in his contract, it’s difficult to see a path to a roster spot for Sheffield unless there are injuries.
Nevertheless, if he can break a big return or two in preseason, his career will be off to a good start and his chances of sticking around will improve.
As for whether he can ever contribute on offense, that may have to be a secondary consideration for a year or two until he’s had a chance to lock down a spot due to his return abilities.