Scouting Profile: Washington DT Danny Shelton

by Arun Srinivasan
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)

The Digest

Scouting Profiles: Breaking down the top prospects in the 2015 NFL Draft

by theScore Staff
Tom Lynn / Getty Images Sport / Getty

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.

Tap the links below to see a full scouting report for each player. 

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston
Marcus Mariota
Garrett Grayson
Bryce Petty
Brett Hundley

Running Backs

Todd Gurley
Melvin Gordon
Ameer Abdullah
Jay Ajayi
Duke Johnson
T.J. Yeldon
Tevin Coleman

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Amari Cooper
Kevin White
DeVante Parker
Jaelen Strong
Maxx Williams
Dorial Green-Beckham
Breshad Perriman
Devin Funchess

Offensive Linemen

Brandon Scherff
Andrus Peat
Ereck Flowers
Cameron Erving

Defensive Linemen

Leonard Williams
Danny Shelton
Malcom Brown
Arik Armstead
Eddie Goldman

Edge Rushers/Linebackers

Dante Fowler Jr.
Randy Gregory
Vic Beasley
Shane Ray
Bud Dupree

Defensive Backs

Trae Waynes
Landon Collins

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