Former NFL player holds receiver clinic in Graham

Brownwood native Jaxon Shipley held a one-day wide receiver clinic for Graham youngsters Wednesday evening under the lights of Newton Field. Roughly 30 young athletes took part in the camp. Shipley is best known for his play with the University of Texas from 2011-14. He had 11 career touchdowns and 2,510 receiving yards in Austin. The former UT great finished third on the Longhorns’ career reception list. After his final season, he spent time in Dallas training before spending the 2015-16 NFL season with the Arizona Cardinals. The 6-foot, 192-pound receiver went undrafted in 2015 but signed as a free agent with the Cardinals. Despite not being named to the official roster during the regular season, Shipley had an impressive time with the Cardinals’ preseason roster. In 2016, Shipley played in four games and made two TD grabs, including one in his home state against the Houston Texans from former USC star quarterback Matt Barkley. Shipley addressed the group following the three-hour clinic and told the group not to allow one dropped pass to affect their day. “I had to learn to not allow one situation like that define how I thought about myself as a player or person,” Shipley said. “It wasn’t really until college that I was able to separate myself as a human being from myself as a football player.” Shipley was let go following the 2016 season and has since moved back to Austin to work with area athletes on improving their play with a company called Shipley Performance. The company focuses on teaching the techniques and knowledge needed to be an elite wide receiver. Shipley said that it puts an emphasis on route running, hand-eye coordination and developing the right mindset when running a route. “I think for me, the biggest thing was being able to teach these guys things that I wish I could have known at their age,” Shipley said following the clinic. “I realized that in college, when I came in, that I could catch the ball really well, but I was very unprepared when it came to my route running and creating separation. For me, it was things that I picked up on in my college career and in the NFL were the small little details that I learned that made a big difference. So, if it makes a big difference at the highest level then it makes a huge difference at this level with the level of talent they are going up against,” he said. Shipley grew up in a competitive household with his older brother, Jordan, also played with the University of Texas and spent time with three NFL squads. For the rest of this story, subscribe to our print or online edition.