photo by: Nick Krug

Former Kansas safety and member of the Philadelphia Eagles, JaCorey Shepherd watches from the Jayhawks' sidelind during the third quarter on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015 at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

A sixth-round draft pick in 2015, former Kansas defensive back JaCorey Shepherd had worked his way up the Philadelphia Eagles’ depth chart heading into his rookie NFL season.

But after putting himself in position to play as the Eagles’ nickel corner, a training camp collision with Darren Sproles tore the ACL in Shepherd’s right knee, forcing him to miss the entire 2015 schedule.

Still, putting his professional career on hold in order to rehab his knee hasn’t changed the 23-year-old’s outlook too drastically.

Shepherd told PhillyMag.com’s Birds 24/7 site he hasn’t left The City of Brotherly Love much since the injury, and described his path toward recovery as “hard.”

“It’s been crazy, but I learned a lot
about myself and a lot about the game
and how to be patient,” Shepherd said
in the report, “and a lot about how to
take care of my body.”

The young Eagles defensive back told Birds 24/7 his knee rehabilitation is ahead of schedule, and because he has never spent so much time away from football the rest has done his body a favor.

Shepherd hopes to be knee brace-free by training camp this summer.

“I have no doubt. As of right now the
way everything’s going, I’ll be ready
for sure,” Shepherd said, “and maybe
I’ll be able to do something in the
mandatory minicamp.”

Shepherd understands that once he is cleared to play, he’ll likely have to prove himself a worthy option in the secondary all over again, and he is eager for the challenge.

“I know the expectations were kinda
high,” Shepherd told Birds 24/7 of his
potential entering last season. “I’m
going to keep ’em high, regardless of
how they view it or how anyone else
views it. I still look at myself to
[pick up] where I left off, and I’m
not going to settle for anything else…
I’m not going to use this as an
excuse.”