EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — One played in a capital city of Division I college football where national titles and draft picks have been harvested for decades.
The other played for a Division II school that, before Saturday, hadn’t seen a player drafted by an NFL team since 1974.
But within a span of four spots in the seventh and concluding round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Alabama offensive lineman Austin Shepherd and Newberry linebacker Edmond Robinson became members of the Vikings.
Shepherd played home games in Bryant-Denny Stadium, which opened with a capacity of 18,000 in 1929 and has expanded to accommodate 101,821 Crimson Tide fans on game days with help along the way from Bear Bryant.