Danny Shelton
Daniel Saileupumoni Shelton (born August 20, 1993)[3] is an American football defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.
Shelton with the Cleveland Browns in November 2015 | |||||||||
| No. 71 – Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 20, 1993 Auburn, Washington | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 345 lb (156 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Auburn (Auburn, Washington) | ||||||||
| College: | Washington (2011–2014) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Roster status: | Practice squad | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2021 | |||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
Early years
Shelton attended Auburn Senior High School in Auburn, Washington, where he played football and competed in track and wrestling.[4] He was a four-star recruit and the 10th best defensive tackle by Rivals.com.[5] Shelton committed to play college football at the University of Washington in January 2011.[6]
He also participated in track & field as a thrower. He earned second-place finishes in both the shot put (54–3 or 16.58 m) and discus throw (155–7 or 47.50 m) at the 2010 West Central District 4A Championships.[7] As a senior, he won the state 4A shot put championship with a career-best throw of 18.31 meters (60–1).
College career
As a true freshman in 2011, he played in 13 games with one start and had 11 tackles. As a sophomore and junior in 2012 and 2013 he started every game at nose tackle for the Huskies. He recorded 45 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 2012 and 59 tackles and two sacks in 2013. Shelton entered 2014 as a starter for the third straight year.[8] He recorded four sacks against Eastern Washington, which was more than he had combined the previous three seasons and the most for a Huskies player since 1989, earning him first-team AP All-America.[9] He finished the season with nine sacks. Shelton was also a member of the Huskies' track and field team.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m) | 339 lb (154 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 5.64 s | 1.90 s | 3.21 s | 4.65 s | 7.99 s | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) | 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) | 34 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Cleveland Browns
On April 30, 2015, Shelton was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 12th overall selection of the first round in the 2015 NFL Draft. When meeting with Roger Goodell on stage, he hugged the commissioner and lifted him off the ground in excitement. Shelton was the University of Washington's first defensive lineman selected in the first round of an NFL draft since Steve Emtman in 1992. On May 12, 2015, Shelton signed a four-year deal worth $11.7 million.[10][11] In 16 games of his rookie season, Shelton played 16 games with 36 tackles.
After center Alex Mack left the team in free agency during the 2016 offseason, Shelton changed his jersey number from 71 to 55, which was previously worn by Mack.[12] Shelton had wanted the number since being drafted by the Browns but opted for his college 71 since 55 was unavailable. He explained he wanted to adorn 55 as tributes to his brother Shennon and former NFL linebacker Junior Seau, both of whom have died and have worn 55 while playing football.[12] In 2016, he started all 16 games with 59 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
On February 23, 2017, Shelton underwent a minor wrist surgery.[13] In 2017, Shelton started 14 games for the Browns recording 33 tackles.
New England Patriots
On March 10, 2018, the Browns agreed to trade Shelton and a 2018 fifth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for a 2019 third-round pick.[14] The deal became official on March 14, 2018, at the start of the NFL year.[15] On May 2, 2018, the Patriots declined the fifth-year option on Shelton's contract, making him a free agent in 2019.[16] Shelton helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl LIII, where they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.[17]
On May 20, 2019, Shelton re-signed with the Patriots.[18] In week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, Shelton recorded his first sack of the season in the 43–0 win.[19] In week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Shelton recorded a strip sack on Carson Wentz which was recovered by teammate Lawrence Guy in the 17–10 win.[20]
Detroit Lions
On March 24, 2020, Shelton signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Detroit Lions.[21][22] He was placed on injured reserve on December 2, 2020.[23] On January 2, 2021, Shelton was activated off of injured reserve.[24] He was released after the season on March 16, 2021.[25]
New York Giants
On March 29, 2021, Shelton signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants.[26][27] He played in 13 games, recording 31 total tackles and .5 sacks.
Kansas City Chiefs
Shelton signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on August 15, 2022.[28] He was released on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day.[29][30]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sack | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2015 | CLE | 16 | 15 | 36 | 19 | 17 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 59 | 32 | 27 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CLE | 14 | 14 | 33 | 20 | 13 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | NE | 13 | 1 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | NE | 16 | 14 | 61 | 30 | 31 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 75 | 60 | 210 | 111 | 99 | 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Personal life
Shelton's mother is Samoan, and his father is Peruvian.[31][32] He often speaks with pride about his Samoan heritage and dons a lavalava, a traditional Polynesian cloth worn like a kilt or skirt.[33]
On May 1, 2011, Shelton and his brothers were involved in an altercation at an apartment complex in Auburn, Washington. One brother died of a gunshot wound, while another was wounded in the incident.[34]
References
- ^ "2014 AP All-America Team, List". College Football.
- ^ "Pac-12 football All-Conference team announced". Pac-12.
- ^ . The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ "Danny Shelton is finding the fun again". Auburn Reporter. December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Danny Shelton". yahoo.com.
- ^ "Auburn High's Shelton commits to UW". The Olympian. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014.
- ^ "West Central District 4A Championships". WASplit.
- ^ Elaine Thompson (September 16, 2014). "UW's Danny Shelton getting big-time attention". The Columbian.
- ^ "Huskies". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Cabot, Mary. "Shelton selected by Browns 12th overall in first round of 2015 NFL Draft". cleveland.com. cleveland.com. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ Busbee, Jay. "Shelton gives Goodell a big hug after being drafted". Sports.Yahoo.com. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Gribble, Andrew. . ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Orr, Conor. "Danny Shelton has minor wrist surgery". NFL. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ Knoblauch, Austin (March 10, 2018). "Browns agree to trade Danny Shelton to Patriots". NFL.com.
- ^ Maks, Patrick (March 14, 2018). . ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ "Patriots will not pick up the fifth-year option for DT Malcom Brown, WR Phillip Dorsett, or recently acquired DT Danny Shelton". PatsPulpit.com. May 2, 2018.
- ^ "53 things we learned from Patriots' 13-3 win over Rams in Super Bowl LIII". USA Today.
- ^ "Patriots Re-Sign DL Danny Shelton". Patriots.com. May 20, 2019.
- ^ "Newcomer Brown scores as Patriots beat Dolphins 43-0". www.espn.com. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Edelman's TD pass leads Patriots over Eagles 17-10". www.espn.com. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
- ^ Gantt, Darin (March 18, 2020). "Lions signing Danny Shelton". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
- ^ "Lions agree to terms with eight free agents". DetroitLions.com. March 20, 2020.
- ^ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. December 2, 2020.
- ^ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. January 2, 2021.
- ^ @Lions (March 16, 2021). "#Lions have released DT Danny Shelton" (Tweet). Retrieved March 16, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Schwartz, Paul (March 29, 2021). "Giants signing defensive tackle Danny Shelton after NFL free agency visit". New York Post. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (March 29, 2021). "Giants sign veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton". Giants.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "Chiefs waive four, officially sign Danny Shelton". NBCSports.com. August 15, 2022.
- ^ "Chiefs Announce Roster Moves to Meet NFL-Mandated 53 Players". Chiefs.com. August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Kansas City Chiefs 2022 Practice Squad Tracker". SI.com. August 31, 2022.
- ^ Florjancic, Matthew (May 1, 2015). "Danny Shelton proud to carry family heritage". WKYC. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ . ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 1, 2015. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ Nate Ulrich. "2015 NFL Draft: Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton overcomes tragedy to become projected first-round pick who's drawn interest from Browns". www.ohio.com.
- ^ "Prosectors decline to press charges in shooting death, citing self-defense". AuburnReporter.com. June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
External links
- Washington Huskies bio
- New England Patriots bio
- Official website