Formerly-unsigned rookie chooses Eagles over cross-state Steelers

An intriguing prospect who had been invited to Eagles and Steelers rookie minicamp never finds his way out of Philly.
Shon Stephens, Philadelphia Eagles
Shon Stephens, Philadelphia Eagles / Tanner Ecker/University of Montana/GettyImages
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WWE star Roman Reigns has his 'Bloodline;, and former Pittsburgh Steeler/Super Bowl hero Joey Porter Sr. has his. One year after Joey Porter Jr. was selected by the Black and Gold with the 32nd-overall selection, his younger cousin, Joey Sr.'s nephew, Shon Stephens has found his way onto an NFL roster. He won't be joining the Steelers though. He's joining the Philadelphia Eagles' nest in the City of Brotherly Love.

Justin Melo of The Draft Network reports that the former Ferris State star was offered a spot on the preseason 90-man roster. He was offered an opportunity to attend both Eagles and Steelers' rookie minicamps on a tryout basis. As it turns out, he never made it to the Steel City.

Here's some background on new Eagles DB prospect Shon Stephens.

That Eagles cornerback room appears to be pretty stocked now. Darius Slay returns for his fifth season. Avonte Maddox was released and reacquired. Recently, the NFL threw Philly a bone and reinstated previously suspended prospect Isaiah Rodgers.

Shon Stephens is a six-foot-tall, 180-pounder from Bakersfield, California. He stacked 25 total tackles and eight interceptions during his final season at Ferris State with the Bulldogs (11 games).

Making Philly's 53-man roster won't be the end game here. Perhaps you've heard. They added Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean during the most recent NFL Draft. Stephens gives them another young diamond to work with though.

He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds. He threw up 19 reps on the bench press while showing off a ten-inch broad jump and a 36.5-inch vertical at Michigan State's Pro Day. The Steelers were again interested, but as mentioned earlier, he never found his way out of Philly.

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