Danny Shelton

BIOGRAPHY

Danny Shelton was born August 20, 1993, in Auburn, Washington. He is a nose tackle in the NFL. 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. 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. He finished the season with nine sacks. Shelton was also a member of the Huskies' track and field team. 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. In 16 games of his rookie season, Shelton played 16 games with 36 tackles. 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. The deal became official on March 14, 2018, at the start of the NFL year. On May 2, 2018, the Patriots declined the fifth-year option on Shelton's contract, making him a free agent in 2019. Shelton helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl LIII, where they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.
On May 20, 2019, Shelton re-signed with the Patriots. In week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, Shelton recorded his first sack of the season in the 43–0 win. 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. On March 24, 2020, Shelton signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Detroit Lions. He was placed on injured reserve on December 2, 2020. On January 2, 2021, Shelton was activated off of injured reserve. He was released after the season on March 16, 2021. On March 29, 2021, Shelton signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants.