Fort Hays State in the NFL: Week of Sept. 20–26
Nathan Shepherd is back — and the New Orleans Saints are better for it.
The Fort Hays State product and Saints defensive tackle returned to full practice participation Thursday ahead of New Orleans' Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, a significant upgrade on the injury report after being limited in prior sessions. Shepherd was among several key Saints to earn a full practice designation, joining Chase Young and Jonas Sanker in what amounts to a meaningful health boost for a New Orleans defense looking to build momentum.
The timing matters. The Saints are coming off a 24–17 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 20, and keeping a veteran interior lineman like Shepherd healthy and available could be critical as the schedule stiffens. Shepherd's role in the trenches — disrupting run lanes and generating interior pressure — is the kind of foundational work that doesn't always show up in box scores but consistently shows up in outcomes.
For Fort Hays State fans, Shepherd's continued presence on an NFL roster remains a point of pride. The FHSU alum has carved out a durable professional career as a big-bodied disruptor, and a clean bill of health heading into Week 3 keeps him squarely in the Saints' defensive rotation.
Meanwhile, Shane Watts — the other active Fort Hays State alum in the league — is holding down a roster spot with the New England Patriots at linebacker. No significant news surfaced on Watts during the period, but his presence in the league alongside Shepherd gives the Tigers two representatives at football's highest level.
For a Division II program out of Hays, Kansas, that's no small thing. Shepherd's full return to practice is the headline this week, but the broader story is a Fort Hays State pipeline that keeps producing NFL-caliber talent quietly and consistently.
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