Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton playing at All-Pro level

First, Danny Shelton is playing with a high motor. One of the main reasons Shelton was regarded so highly in the draft process was his ability to play sideline-to-sideline. Last season, Shelton played without leverage (i.e. he played high) which prevented him from getting off blocks to make plays

In the tweet below, Shelton gets cut. The reason the cut block is effective lies in Shelton’s ability to fire off the ball low in order to gain leverage. Usually, when cut, a lineman will stay down accepting his fate as taken out of the play. But not Shelton.

The fact that he gets up to chase down the play makes him stand out as a defensive tackle. He is now playing with the high motor sideline-to-sideline that the previous front office saw in him. Shelton is playing like he did in college. He is adapting his game to the NFL level.

It also helps that Shelton plays in a lot of four-down lineman fronts. His style of play is better suited to a 4-3 defensive tackle. He is now playing primarily as a 4-3 defensive tackle which allows him to penetrate and create havoc in the backfield.