Early years

Sheard was an All-Broward County defensive lineman who had 54 tackles and 11 sacks as a senior at Hollywood Hills, a Florida 5A (second largest classification) school. He was rated as the nation's No. 23 weakside defensive end and was one of the top 60 prospects in the state of Florida according to Rivals.com. He was a PrepStar All-Southeast Region.He was rated one of the top 100 prospects in Florida by SuperPrep. He was rated one of the top 75 prospects in the southeast region by Scout.com.

Sheard was also a track and field letterman. In 2007, he placed fourth in the shotput at the FHSAA Outdoor State Championships with a throw of 16.20 meters (53-0). He also earned All-Broward County honors in the discus. He was timed at 4.6 in the 40-yard dash at the Nike combine prior to his senior season.

College career

He was described as someone who didn't get enough credit on the Pittsburgh defensive line and noted for his "extraordinary game" against Notre Dame and the pressure he put on quarterback Jimmy Clausen. He had four tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup and four quarterback hurries in the game, as he "simply overwhelmed right tackle Sam Young off the edge with his speed". Commentator Wes Bunting describes Sheard, a 6-4, 260-pound lineman, as being balanced and exhibiting impressive body control, "an explosive first step", and "keeping his pad level down and making himself small when turning the corner". As a junior in 2009 Sheard was overshadowed by teammate and fellow defensive lineman Greg Romeus, but "is a gifted pass rusher in his own right, and his combination of burst, balance and closing speed will find him a spot on an NFL roster". Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh's coach and a former National Football League (NFL) coach has also said that he thinks Sheard and Romeus will both play in the NFL.

Teammate and Brandon Lindsey, who relieves Romeus and Sheard, credited them with helping him develop as a player saying, "They’ve really shown me how to work hard every day in practice and to not get frustrated when things don’t go your way." The Panthers lead the country in sacks.

Sheard was suspended from the Pitt Football team indefinitely after his July 18, 2010 arrest on charges stemming from an off-campus brawl that occurred on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh. He was restored to the team after charges were reduced to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and paid restitution for injuries and damages incurred during the fight.

Sheard earned first-team American Football Coaches Association All-American honors in 2010 and was named as one of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Award for the years best defensive end.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Sheard was selected with the 37th overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

2011 season

In 2011, Sheard started all 16 games for the Browns and led the team in sacks (8.5) and forced fumbles (5). Sheard and teammate Phil Taylor were chosen to the Pro Football Weekly 2011 All-Rookie Team. Sheard recorded his first career sack and forced fumble against the Indianapolis Colts in week 2 and recorded a career-high 2 sacks against the Arizona Cardinals in week 15.

2012 season

In 2012, Sheard started all 16 games for the Browns, recording 7.0 sacks and 36 tackles to cap a productive year.

2013 season

Limited by injury, Sheard started 13 games in 2013. He recorded 5.5 sacks and 19 tackles.

2014 season

Sheard improved in 2014 under a new coaching staff led by head coach Mike Pettine. During the 2014 season, he started all 16 games and ended the year on a solid note with 44 combined tackles (25 solo, 19 assisted) and 2 sacks.

New England Patriots

2015 season

As a free agent, Sheard signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the New England Patriots on March 11, 2015. He made an immediate impact on the Patriots' defense, collecting four sacks in his first four games.

NFL stats

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2011	CLE	16	55	40	15	8.5	5	1	5	0	0	0	0	0	2
2012	CLE	16	55	38	17	7.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
2013	CLE	13	36	19	17	5.5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
2014	CLE	16	44	25	19	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
2015	NE	13	37	28	9	8.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Career		74	227	150	77	31.0	11	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	14

Key

• GP: games played
• COMB: combined tackles
• TOTAL: total tackles
• AST: assisted tackles
• SACK: sacks
• FF: forced fumbles
• FR: fumble recoveries
• FR YDS: fumble return yards
• INT: interceptions
• IR YDS: interception return yards
• AVG IR: average interception return
• LNG: longest interception return
• TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
• PD: passes defensed

[ Source: Wikipedia ]