2015 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington

The New York Giants have drafted a defensive tackle on the second day of the draft in four of the last five years. But with even with all that investment, age, injury and free agency have left them thin at the position.

They could respond by drafting Washington Huskies defensive tackle Danny Shelton.

Shelton is coming off a break out senior season that saw him notch 89 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, and 9.5 sacks. Oh and he's also blocked three kicks.

Just looking at that disruptive production leads you to envision a --relatively-- svelte pass rushing 3-technique like Aaron Donald (54 tackles, 28.5 TFL, 11 sacks in 2013) to pair with the massive John Hankins.

You would be wrong. If anything, Shelton is even bigger than Hankins, measuring 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 339 pounds during the just-concluded 2015 NFL Scouting Combine.

Let's take a closer look at the big Huskie.

Pros

- Rare blend of mass, power, and athleticism

- Surprisingly flexible and agile despite his enormous frame

- Fourth year senior, he improved markedly every year

- Unbelievable motor. He is always in pursuit, which helps account for his tackle numbers

- Highly productive senior season

- Controls double teams or splits gaps

Cons

- Shelton's extreme size means that he will likely need to be part of a rotation

- Sacks came in bunches, and mostly relies on his physical dominance to overwhelm blockers.

- Can be susceptible to cut blocks

- Pad level can rise as he fatigues

Does He Fit With The Giants?

Absolutely.

Much like John Hankins, Shelton has the frame to be a 2-gap run stuffer, but surprising athleticism to be a productive pass rusher. The Giants would love Shelton's motor, and his presence on the defensive line would make life much easier for the Giants' much maligned linebacker corps.

With offenses like Philadelphia and Dallas, the Giants' defense is going to come down to winning the line of scrimmage. Re-signing Jason Pierre-Paul and fielding two defensive tackles like Hankins and Shelton would go a long way to accomplishing that.

Prospect Video

Big Board Rankings

Big Blue View - 19

Mocking The Draft - 23

CBS Sports - 19

Draft Countdown - 8 (Seniors only)

Draft Tek - 22

Final Thoughts

What else is there to say? Well, in the words of Slippy Toad: "DO A BARREL ROLL!"

When you hear people talk about dancing elephants, Danny Shelton is the ideal. He is massive, powerful, and quicker than any human his size has any right to be. There just are not many of these guy walking the earth. Scouts use a variety of comparisons for Shelton: Vince Wilfork, Hiloti Ngata, Dontari Poe, John Hankins ... That is the kind of player that Shelton projects to be. The prospect of pairing two of those guys up in the middle of their defense might be too much for Jerry Reese to pass up.