Pelissero: No doubt Lito Sheppard has declined, but he might end up a steal

Lito Sheppard says all that's changed since his Pro Bowl days in Philadelphia is circumstance, but the nearly seven weeks he spent on the street this spring suggest otherwise.

Starting-caliber cornerbacks rarely wait so long to find a new home, and few end up settling for the sort of one-year, $2 million deal the Minnesota Vikings extended to Sheppard just before April's draft.

"He's not the player that he used to be," confirmed an AFC scout who studied Sheppard, 29, extensively during his 2009 season with the New York Jets.

"You're also not talking about a player who's 33, 34 years old either. I don't think he's at the back end of his career -- I just don't think he's got the same fastball that he used to."

Here's a prediction, though: decline and all, the Vikings won't lose much of anything with Sheppard manning the right corner instead of Cedric Griffin.

In fact, the Vikings may end up seeing their stopgap turn into a steal.

And that has nothing to do with vague ideas about Sheppard playing with a chip on his shoulder or illusions he'll recapture the form that made him an All-Pro in 2004.

This is about what Sheppard does well at this stage of his career and how coordinator Leslie Frazier can utilize his skills in the absence of Griffin, whose recovery from knee reconstruction makes him a long shot to be ready in September.

For starters, Frazier's Cover-2 scheme calls for his safeties to play a lot of deep zones, providing corners more protection downfield than Sheppard got in New York.

"The first thing that I saw last year with Lito was there was a lack of recovery speed," the scout said. "He was put over the top and put in a footrace, and that's where I saw a little bit of a decline. But in terms of mind and his vision, his positioning and awareness, those things were OK."

While Sheppard's man skills are short to intermediate, he's still a solid zone player who can sink in Cover-2. Frazier uses more zones than Sheppard played in a similar defense with the Eagles, whose blitz-heavy scheme calls for a lot of man on the edges.

There's no question Griffin brings size (6-foot, 203 pounds) and toughness to the position. He's been productive enough that the Vikings locked him up in March 2009 -- a five-year extension that included a $2.5 million signing bonus and will pay Griffin $3 million in base salary this season -- but he's had his share of busts, too, and never will be confused with an elite cover corner.

What the Vikings hope Sheppard (5-10, 194) brings is savvy and experience, despite the rumblings that followed him out of his last two stops.

A string of injuries and a contract disagreement with Sheppard prompted the Eagles' 2008 trade for All-Pro Asante Samuel, bumping Sheppard to a subpackage role for a season and then paving the way for his trade to the Jets.

"Getting out of Philly was the most important thing," Sheppard said during the Vikings' minicamp last month. "I wasn't really concerned with the scheme of things -- I just wanted to get a fresh opportunity."

The Jets promptly signed him to a four-year, $27.2 million extension, but Sheppard never saw any of the "new" money. Out of place opposite Darrelle Revis in Rex Ryan's attacking 46 defense, Sheppard was demoted by season's end, both sides had soured and the Jets dumped him instead of paying a $10 million roster bonus in March.

Is Sheppard the same guy who had 14 interceptions from 2004 to '06, returning three for touchdowns? All signs -- including his four interceptions over the past three seasons combined -- point to no.

"I think Lito at this stage probably will do a good job of playing to his strengths and not putting himself in position where his weaknesses could get exposed," the scout said. "I just don't see this guy making as many as plays as he used to in the past. I don't think he's someone necessarily that you're really concerned with when you put your game plan together."

But with another golden opportunity on another good defense -- and with his NFL future perhaps on the line -- Sheppard believes he's finally in a good place again.

And in his mind, right or wrong, the Lito Sheppard of old isn't gone just yet.

"The only thing that has changed between then and me now is some bad situations," Sheppard said. "That can affect a player. That affected me, as far as being comfortable and knowing what my role is on the team.

"I feel very comfortable here, and the coaches told me what it was from the beginning, and I think that's going to allow me to definitely get that mentality back and show it."

Tom Pelissero is Senior Editor and columnist for 1500ESPN.com. He hosts from 6 to 8 p.m. weeknights and co-hosts from 10 a.m. to noon Sundays on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
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