What kind of player are the Patriots getting in defensive tackle Danny Shelton?
Even playing on a team like the Browns -- where he was a first-round pick in 2015 -- the 24-year-old Shelton has distinguished himself as a talented run-stuffer who can play head-up against a lineman or operate in a gap. For 2017, Pro Football Focus had him rated as the 21st-best interior defensive lineman against the run. (By way of comparison, new teammate Malcom Brown was 18th in the same list.)
Last season, Shelton played 43.73 percent of the Browns snaps, the majority of them on first and second down. While it appeared he’s played more pure nose tackle in a 3-4 than anything else, it looks like he can slide occasionally from gap to gap as needed between the guards. Basically, it looks like he has the skill set that could mean he’d pair nicely with the likes of Brown to serve as a sizable force in the middle.
He’s not the sort of guy who is going to fly around and make plays. (Please God don’t measure him by his 1.5 career sacks he had. That’s not his strength.) If his film from Cleveland the last three years is any indication, he’s at his best when he’s a mauler. His strength lies in his ability to occupy multiple offensive linemen, which should make it easier for his fellow defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs to make plays.
“He's (a) very strong, powerful guy, hard to block and he runs well,” Bill Belichick said of Shelton prior to the October 2016 matchup between the Patriots and Browns. “He has good range. He makes plays on the perimeter. He does a good job of getting off blocks. And he's definitely a presence in the middle of the defense. But more than just a big guy in there, he can extend and make plays out in the C-gaps and on the perimeter and screens and things like that. He runs well. So yeah, he's a tough guy to handle in there. He eats up a lot of blockers and he's a hard guy to block.”
The one question I’d have? His weight. It’s remained a thorn in his side over the years. At last check, he was 6-foot-2 and 343 pounds — with the imminent departure of Alan Branch, that would make him the heaviest guy on the New England roster. In this story from 2016, it indicates his weight has fluctuated between 335 and nearly 365 pounds, and has the potential to hold him back when it comes to his overall development. It’s obviously important for a defensive tackle to play stout, but by his own admission it started “getting out of hand” when he hit the 365-pound mark in 2015. One Browns’ source told Greg shortly after the deal went down that Shelton “lost a lot of weight. (Defensive coordinator) Gregg Williams was on his ass all the time.” I don’t know about the particulars of his contract, but I have to imagine that given his history, there’s some sort of weight-based incentive clause in there. (EDIT: Per Miguel, our resident capologist, according to the CBA, his rookie contract can not contain a weight clause. Only playing-time incentives are allowed.)
One other thing about his contract? He’s going into the final year of a four-year deal he signed when he came into the league.
A quick re-watch of a lot of his 2017 film reveals the fact that he frequently commanded a double-team, center-guard combo in hopes of trying to neutralize him. Opposing offensive lines (and offensive coordinators) made it a priority to figure out where he was and prevent him from making plays. With that in mind, here are five plays from 2017 that stood out for me, good and bad.
On the first play, he lines up on the nose, but takes on a block from Jacksonville guard A.J. Cann. He quickly sheds the opposing lineman and helps close the hole on running back Chris Ivory, holding him to a two-yard gain. Not overly flashy, but the sort of workmanlike stuff he’ll be asked to handle in New England.
The second play is a good example of what I mean when I say that he demands attention from opposing offensive lines. He’s clearly the priority on this play, where he’s double-teamed by Cann and Jacksonville center Brandon Linder to open a hole for Leonard Fournette. Accompanied by the likes of Brown, I'll be fascinated to see how many double teams he draws in New England. Against last year’s Cleveland defensive front, a team like the Jags could afford to double-team Shelton. Against a defensive front where he is accompanied by the likes of Brown? Not so much.
The third play has him lined up in the A gap, and he and fellow defensive tackle Trevon Coley work to overwhelm the Indy offensive line for a nice tackle for loss.
He can get after the quarterback as needed. On this play, he shows a nice burst out of the gate, forcing old pal Jacoby Brissett to get rid of the ball quickly. It’s not his strong suit, but he can still turn it on as needed.
He was not immune to bad outings. The one game that really sticks out from 2017 was the season finale loss to Pittsburgh. Not sure if it was just a bad matchup, the frustration that likely went along with being at the end of an 0-16 season, or what. But he appeared to struggle on several occasions — on this play, he just gets driven off the line by Steelers’ right guard Matt Feiler (an unheralded backup playing for the resting David DeCastro). That same game, he got fooled on a reverse, and was also seen dropping into coverage. Weird afternoon.
All in all though, there’s a lot to like about Shelton. If it all comes together for him in New England, he'll do a lot of the dirty work that goes unseen in the box score. He'll work in tandem with Brown as a run-stuffer who is part of defensive packages in first- and second-down situations, as well as other short-yardage possibilities. Provided he stays healthy and the weight isn't an issue, he should give the 2018 Patriots more than enough support to help absorb the losses of Branch and Ricky Jean Francois.
A couple of more notes from Bedard:
- I watched film with an offensive line that was prepping for the Browns. Let's just say that Shelton's ballooning weight was more of a topic in the room than his play. The weight is a serious issue.
- This is the rest of the quote from a Browns source: "Good against the run unless your center is exceptional and you will have to assign another guy to help on the center. ... Good lateral quickness and has real good explosion to penetrate. ... We are not a two gap team like NE so I don't know about the adjustment he will have to make. ... I like the kid."
- Bob McGinn's draft capsule for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
DANNY SHELTON, Washington (6-2, 338, 5.61, 1): Three-year starter led leading DTs on bench press with 34 reps. "You watch him roll through things and get people off his feet and run to the sideline," one scout said. "I never, ever would have thought that (5.61) would be his 40. He's one of those old San Diego Charger defensive tackles like Louie Kelcher (1975-'83) that just stands in there and mauls you." Gregarious personality from Auburn, Wash. "I wanted to just hate him because of his measurables," another scout said. "His shuttle times and all that were just awful. But I couldn't believe how good he plays. Fundamental football player. He strikes with his hands and controls blockers, not in his territory but in their territory. He's not going to be leaping on piles 25 yards downfield but from tackle to tackle he dominates." Started 40 of 52 games, finishing with 203 tackles (24 for loss) and 11 ½ sacks. Wonderlic of 23. "If he doesn't maintain his weight, he could be a bust," a third scout said. "If he does, he's got a chance to be like a Vince Wilfork guy."