Orono, Maine – University of Maine linebacker Sterling Sheffield and wide receiver Micah Wright have been extended National Football League mini camp invitations from the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals, respectively. The invitations come following the conclusion of the NFL draft Saturday evening.
At Weber State, Sheffield wrapped up Maine's FCS quarterfinal victory with 3.0 tackles for loss and six total tackles.200th in tackles for loss per game (1.3). Individually, Sheffield matched a career-high with 3.0 tackles for loss on three separate occasions. He notched a career-high 12 tackles, with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble, in Maine's win at Western Kentucky before adding his fifth career interception and recording his 42nd in the nation in sacks per game (0.68) and 35th among league leaders with 6.0 tackles per game. In all, Sheffield racked up 84 tackles with three fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, an interception and seven pass deflections. Sheffield ranks 30th Sheffield, a 2018 STATS Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) First Team All-American and All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, wrapped up his senior season as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) leader in tackles for loss (18.0), averaging 1.29 per game. Sheffield, an Associated Press Second Team All-American honoree, checked in tied for third in the CAA with 9.5 total sacks and ranked.
For his career, Sheffield appeared in 45 games for the Black Bears while totaling 229 tackles, including 44.5 tackles for loss, to go along with 22.5 sacks and five interceptions.
Like Sheffield, Wright enjoyed a similarly accolade-laden senior-year. The Newark, N.Y. native received his third all-conference honor with a slot on the league's third-team as a wide receiver. The senior recorded 39 catches for 449-yards and five touchdowns, averaging 44.9 yards per game and 11.5 yards per catch. His top performance of the season came at Rhode Island, leading Maine to a last-second win after tallying a career-high 10 receptions for 125-yards and a touchdown.
Wright notched a pair of touchdowns in Maine's win at Western Kentucky and finished the season ranked 11th in the CAA in both receptions per game (3.9) and touchdown receptions (5). For his career, Wright currently ranks sixth on Maine's all-time receiving list (2,143 yards) and seventh on Maine's all-time receptions list (160).
Sheffield and Wright join Drew Belcher in the NFL, after the senior captain inked a deal with the Cardinals earlier in the evening.
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