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Scouting Profile: Washington DT Danny Shelton

Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports

Get an in-depth look at the top prospects in this year's draft class leading up to the NFL draft, which takes place from April 30 to May 2 in Chicago.

To view our complete list of 2015 prospect profiles, tap here.

Danny Shelton 

Position: DT
School: Washington
College Experience: Senior
Height: 6-2
Weight: 339 lbs.
Age: 21

Combine Results

Event Result
40-yd dash 5.64 sec
Bench Press 34 reps
Vertical Jump 30.5 inches
Broad Jump 95 inches
3-Cone Drill 7.99 sec
20-yd Shuttle 4.65 sec 

Strengths

  • Strong ability to shed multiple blockers in running game.
  • Excellent short-area quickness in short-yardage, goal-line situations. 
  • Awareness on short passes, very good sideline-to-sideline speed for his size.
  • Gets hands up quickly at line of scrimmage to deflect passes.
  • Blocks A and B gaps exceptionally well. 

Weaknesses

  • Struggles to make progress downfield if first move doesn't work in pass-rush scenarios.
  • Appears to have limited arsenal of moves, relying solely on raw strength to beat offensive linemen.
  • Makes less plays in second half due to fatigue and can appear to be worn down late in games. 

NFL player comparison: Haloti Ngata 

Shelton, a run-stopping dynamo, will block multiple gaps at the line of scrimmage, much akin to Ngata or Vince Wilfork at the NFL level. The high-end prospect's short-burst quickness is similar to Ngata's and he's shown that he may be able to occupy numerous blockers in the professional game.

Ideal fit: Chicago Bears

Chicago lost its top defensive tackle – and arguably its best defensive player – when Stephen Paea joined Washington in free agency. Shelton would be a welcome addition to the Bears, who have allowed opposing teams to score at will over the past two seasons. In Vic Fangio's defense, Shelton could develop into a Justin Smith-type talent due to his tremendous upper-body strength and potential to improve in the passing game. 

Draft projection: Round 1 (6-10)

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