5 NFL teams ripe for Washington Football Coleman Shelton

Washington Football‘s Coleman Shelton anchored the Husky offensive line. Now he’s earned the opportunity to be the NFL’s center of attention

The Washington Football team has had two pretty impressive seasons, thanks in no small part to the play of center Coleman Shelton. All in all, Shelton anchored one of the better NCAA offensive lines this past season. His dependability kept his quarterback upright and his speed and agility choreographed an undefendable running attack. In fact, it was commonplace to witness Shelton snap the ball, pull out and lead the running attack to seal off the lead defender.

He was a great Husky and stood out in both run and pass blocking.

So long Shelton

The play of Shelton this season displayed versatility, agility, and power at the point of attack. And his play was impressive enough to earn him the distinction of best Pac-12 offensive lineman. Considering the competition, that is no small feat.

But as is the case with all things NCAA, his playing time ends upon graduation. And so, off to the NFL Combine he goes!

NFL Combine

In preparation for the NFL Combine, Shelton had the opportunity to work out with rival Washington State quarterback Luke Falk.  It’s rather common for NCAA rivals to pair up in workout clinics and training programs. After all, their NFL days lie ahead, and they could land on the same team in the pros.

Preparation, training, nutrition, hydration, sleep all factor into how any athlete prepares. So how does Shelton stack up? Well, that is

A solid showing at the NFL Combine for a critical but “unsexy” position should put Shelton on the radar for a number of NFL teams. So where will he hear his name called, and by whom?

Good statistical indicators

But if you follow some basic measurable statistics, he lines up to be in line for a solid and lengthy NFL Career. And that could put him in a late day two or early day three projection.

So what are NFL teams seeing? To begin with, he was one of the best Pac-12 linemen in 2017.

And from there, he played hard all season. Let’s start with Shelton’s college profile.

College recruiting

* Highlights
* Rivals Profile
* ESPN Profile
* 247Sports Profile

NFL Draft reviews

Now we can look at what NFL teams are looking at in their scouting reports

* Highlights
* NFL.com Profile
* NFLDraftBlaster Profile
* WalterFootball (no. 13) Profile

And so we come down to which five teams would most benefit from Coleman Shelton?  Well, we’ve come up with a list of five NFL teams. See if you agree.

V – Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are in need of a solid center and they have plenty of picks to consider using to get one.  The Rams are already quite familiar with the Washington Huskies offensive linemen, having signed Jake Eldrenkamp as an undrafted free agent last season.  They loved Eldrenkamp and kept him all the way up the final 53 roster spots. At that time, he was released and signed on to the practice squad as a backup center. But he was released once more

Upon the end of the season, the Rams signed Eldrenkamp with one of 10 futures contracts.

Fit

Shelton Coleman would be a solid addition to the Los Angeles Rams. Not only would he reunite with his former teammate Eldrenkamp, but he brings solid run blocking skills which will be incredibly valuable to the Rams rushing offense.  Since Coleman Shelton is a Los Angeles native, he would be a natural addition for the team.

His height and weight place him in the right range to replace current starter John Sullivan when the time comes. For now, he is an upgrade to the Rams’ depth and gives Los Angeles answers for the future as well.

IV – New York Giants

The New York Giants need help along the entire offensive line.  And with the team looking for a new start after a very disappointing season, that is probably a good place to start.  While the team currently has a starting center who performs well enough by the name of Weston Richburg, there is certainly plenty of room for depth and serious need for competition.

The center position is not a place on the offensive line where you want to start an untested player. So adding Coleman Shelton to the Giants roster ensures that natural centers fill the depth chart.  And for one of the Giants day three picks, the Giants can add a solid lineman to their roster.

Versatile run blocker

But Coleman Shelton is not just a fixture to draft and sit on the bench. He is a very talented run blocker who has demonstrated the ability to kick out and lead any number of running plays with great effectiveness. And while he is emerging from the NCAA as a center, he has a background of all offensive line positions.

With NFL rosters limited in both salary and number, personnel executives are eager to fill multiple team needs with as few players as possible.  The selection of Shelton for the Giants allows them to focus on other team needs when building their 53 man roster.

III- Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are a team known for solid offensive line play. And now that the team has committed the running game to Derrick Henry, they will be looking to upgrade their run blocking as well.  That give the Titans the double benefit of bolstering their rushing game, but also providing offensive line who can stay in front of dual-threat quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Coleman Shelton is such an offensive lineman. He was the anchor to the Huskies offensive line which blocked for running backs like Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman. His steady play afforded the Washington offense lots of “wiggle room” when it came to the playbook. By that I mean that the offense had virtually all plays at their disposal.

On the move

The aspect of Shelton’s game is his ability to neutralize a defender at the point of attack. When he is on the move, he is his most dangerous. And Mariotta puts their offensive linemen on the move out of necessity. Shelton will not rise on the depth charts rapidly in Tennessee, but he will shore up the line and show constant improvement all season long.

And then, there is that versatility factor.  A center who can play all positions on an offensive line is doubly valuable on any NFL roster simply from the fact that their understanding of blocking and protection schemes is top notch. And with a reserve center on the roster, there is insurance of the automatic center to quarterback will go off without a hitch in case of injury to the starter.

II – Seattle Seahawks

The reputation of the Seattle Seahawks of finding dominating NFL starters deep in the NFL Draft is well earned. And with the experience of witnessing Coleman Shelton’s play for the Washington Huskies throughout his career, I have to conclude that he is the perfect candidate to emerge as one more “find” later in the draft.

The fit makes sense in many ways for the Seahawks. Their team needs to invest heavily to upgrade their running game. And from the appearance of the defense amidst trades and waivers, the offense will need to play a much larger role in team wins next season.

Lead the way

Seattle needs a running game desperately in 2018. The team allowed nearly 200 more yards rushing than they gained. And when the leading rusher for the team is the quarterback Russell Wilson, you are running an unsustainable trend. Shelton gives an out to avoid relying on Wilson to lead both the running game and passing game. He can do that by doing what he does best: pulling and leading running plays.

But he also helps Wilson much as he would help Mariota. He is an offensive lineman who can stay ahead of a speedy quarterback. And with him on the roster, offensive coordinators can call Wilson’s number on designed running plays. That keeps defenses honest, and ensures that a very valuable quarterback has protection.

I – Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are fresh off a Super Bowl victory, and are limited in draft picks. Still, they have a solid roster with few glaring needs. And they have already pulled the most Washington players in the 2017 NFL Draft by selecting both cornerback Sidney Jones IV and defensive tackle Elijah Qualls. And with the solid reputation both players have, they would not hesitate to go back for offensive line depth. But the Philadelphia Eagles are set at offensive line, right?

Go back to the NFL.com summary tweet and at the 16 second mark, Mike Mayock states that Shelton reminds him of Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

And I thought the exact same thing all season long. Coleman Shelton flourishes when pulling to lead running plays. On the Eagles roster, he becomes a solid backup for Kelce.

Kelce/Shelton have similar characteristics

Shelton is listed at 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds on the NFL.com scouting report. Kelce plays at 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds. Kelce is known for his beard. Coleman Shelton is growing a beard. And Jason Kelce has made the trip to the NFL Pro Bowl twice in his seven NFL seasons. And Kelce himself was a 6th round selection for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2011 NFL Draft.

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To say that Shelton could follow in Kelce’s footsteps is a pretty solid and logical conclusion. Kelce was coached by offensive line coach Howard Mudd. Now, he is coached by Jeff Stoutland, and his play has been exceptional. While you likely will not catch Coleman Shelton in a turban anytime soon, you can bet he would be a good apprentice to Kelce’s style of play. And finding a center who is so adept at run blocking like Kelce is simply not something that happens in any NFL Draft. If Coleman Shelton falls to Philadelphia on day three, look out.