He raced down the left sideline about 20 yards on a wheel route, got a step on defender Julian Okwara, high-pointed a missile from Jalen Hurts without breaking stride, then tumbled to the grass, rising up to show he still had the football in his hands.
It was a play you don’t see from many running backs. And it was a play you don’t see from many mid-round draft picks. And it was a play you don’t see from many rookies.
But that was Will Shipley turning in a highlight-reel catch during a 7-on-7 drill at training camp on Monday.
The kind of play that gets rookies noticed.
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“I expect to make those plays,” Shipley said later. “That's something I think I bring to the table is just the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. You know, something we've been joking around about is they can't keep guarding us with d-ends out of the backfield.
“And so when they do that, we’ve got to take advantage of it. So play like (that), Jalen (Hurts) puts a great ball up and I’ve just got to go up and make a play. Couldn't have been a better throw.”
As a rookie 4th-round pick, he probably has the roster made, but a play like that can do a lot of things for Shipley. It can help build trust with Hurts, it can build trust with play caller Kellen Moore and it can help earn Shipley playing time once the regular season rolls around.
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“I love opportunities like that and you can't take them for granted,” Shipley said. “Got to go make a play and make sure that everybody can see you do it, as well.”
Shipley is the clear RB3 in the Eagles’ running back hierarchy, behind Saquon Barkley and Kenny Gainwell. But in the early days of camp he’s certainly turned some heads with his ability to not just catch everything but show great burst with the ball in his hands.
Shipley had success running the ball at Clemson – nearly 3,000 yards, a 5.2 average and 31 touchdowns in three seasons. But he also had 69 catches for 486 yards as a receiver, and that versatility is what really got the Eagles’ attention.
In Moore’s offense, you better be multiple or you won’t play.
“Will did some really good things at Clemson,”running backs coach Jemel Singleton said after practice Tuesday. “I got a chance to work him out in a private workout, just got to meet him and I (was impressed by) his personality and just the reverence that everyone in the building had for him – I mean everyone.
“I have some close friends on the staff there who couldn’t speak anything but great things about him on a whole other level. So I just think his work ethic, his leadership ability, all those things are what help him now with the football stuff as he continues to grow and gets better. But he’s got some of those intangibles that are very important.”
Shipley was one of only three BCS players with 2,500 rushing yards, 80 catches and 30 touchdowns over the last three years. His 69 catches over the last two years were 8th-most in the BCS by a running back.
He catches the ball effortlessly, like someone who’s played wide receiver in the past.
Which he has.
“It’s something that I've just done since high school,” he said. “I played a lot of receiver in high school and then when I got to Clemson, something I just continued to emphasize and focus on.
“I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted to, but once I got here during OTAs, was able to play some ‘F’ in the slot and do all that, learn some of the concepts and just get a lot more practice.
“So just continuing to develop that side of me and show that I'm as versatile as they come and go make plays wherever the team needs me to. Whether it's catching the ball, running up the middle or blocking, protecting the quarterback.
“Just very blessed to be here in Philadelphia. But also getting opportunities, getting the reps that I am. And I just want to make the most of them. I'm going to go in there and make sure that I'm prepared going into practice and be ready for anything that's shot my way."
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