Will Shipley
Position: RB — Projected: 4th Round
History & Measurables
Born: Aug. 29, 2002 – Weddington, NC
High School: Weddington
College: Clemson
Height – 5’11″ Weight – 206 lbs
Traits & Characteristics
The Good
- Explosive in Space
- Quality Returner
- Speed to Get Around the Corner
- Excellent Returner
The Bad
- Struggles in Short Yardage
- Smaller Frame
- Average Inside Runner
- Cannot Create if there is no Space at Line of Scrimmage
Advanced Analytics Notes
2023 Rushing
- 2.92 Yards After Contact/Attempt (T-112th Among FBS RBs, min. 100 rush attempts)
- 34.8% of total rushing yards came on runs of 15+ yards (93rd Among RBs)
- 27 Missed Tackles Forced (104th Among RBs)
- 28 Runs of 10+ Yards (T-37th Among RBs)
- 50% of carries in zone scheme, 50% of carries in gap scheme
2023 Receiving
- 79.9% Route Participation (T-46th Among FBS RBs, min. 10 targets)
- 0.99 Yards per Route Run (105th Among RBs)
- 8.5 YAC/REC (115th Among RBs)
- 73.7 PFF Receiving Grade (15th Among RBs)
- 25.2 PFF Pass Blocking Grade (547th Among RBs)
Film Notes and Highlights
Will Shipley is unlikely to be an every down player in the NFL, but he does a lot of things well and could be part of a tandem backfield. One thing that should help in getting him on the field is his receiving ability and history of being a very good returner. He is not just an outlet receiver but can be lined up outside and run a diverse route tree. I did not think Clemson utilized his receiving ability well out of the backfield.
Will Shipley is great in space and shows very good burst. He has the speed to get outside and is a patient runner in setting up his blocks. The struggles of his game is running between the tackles because of his smaller frame. He can get stood up at the line and is not great of creating if there is no hole to run through. To me, he has similar skill sets to Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey but is not as good of an inside runner. – Brandon Haye
(Games Watched: vs North Carolina 2023, vs Kentucky 2023, vs North Carolina St 2023, vs Georgia Tech 2023, Florida St 2023)
Will Shipley has nice sleeper appeal. Offered by Bama, Georgia, Ohio State, etc. Started as a freshman at Clemson. Goal line and receiving role in all 3 years. Declares early. 21 years old. 206 pounds with 4.44 speed, 38.5 vert.
Can run every route out of the backfield. pic.twitter.com/O7umIFvqap
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) April 6, 2024
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Erika Brown
Erika Brown is a fantasy football writer for The League Winners. A journalism graduate from Oklahoma State University, she enjoys watching OkState football games and writing about college football.