Daniel Saileupumoni Shelton (born August 20, 1993) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

. He was selected by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in the first round of the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

Early life

Shelton attended

Auburn Senior High School Auburn High School, formerly Auburn Senior High School, is a public high school in Auburn, Washington, United States, founded in 1903. The school is situated on of land in downtown Auburn. Its campus includes the Auburn Performing Arts Center (PA ...

Auburn, Washington Auburn is a city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States (with a small portion crossing into neighboring Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County). The population was 87,256 at the 2020 United States ...

, where he played

and competed in track and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

. He was a four-star recruit and the 10th best

by Rivals.com. Shelton committed to play

at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

in January 2011. He also participated in track & field as a thrower. He earned second-place finishes in both the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

(54–3 or 16.58 m) and

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

(155–7 or 47.50 m) at the 2010 West Central District 4A Championships. 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 Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

. 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 Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...

, which was more than he had combined the previous three seasons and the most for a Huskies player since 1989, earning him first-team

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. He finished the season with nine sacks. Shelton was also a member of the Huskies' track and field team.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

On April 30, 2015, Shelton was drafted by the

with the 12th overall selection of the first round in the

. When meeting with

Roger Goodell Roger Stokoe Goodell (born February 19, 1959) is an American businessman who has served as the National Football League Commissioner, commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) since 2006. Goodell began his NFL career in 1982 as an admi ...

on stage, he hugged the commissioner and lifted him off the ground in excitement. Shelton was the University of Washington's first

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

selected in the first round of an

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

since Steve Emtman in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. 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. 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. 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. In 2016, he started all 16 games with 59 tackles and 1.5 sacks. On February 23, 2017, Shelton underwent a minor wrist surgery. 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 The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

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 The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

13–3. On May 20, 2019, Shelton re-signed with the Patriots. In week 2 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, Shelton recorded his first sack of the season in the 43–0 win. In week 11 against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

, Shelton recorded a strip sack on Carson Wentz which was recovered by teammate Lawrence Guy in the 17–10 win.

Detroit Lions

On March 24, 2020, Shelton signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

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.

New York Giants

On March 29, 2021, Shelton signed a one-year deal with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He played in 13 games, recording 31 total tackles and .5 sacks.

Kansas City Chiefs

Shelton signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

on August 15, 2022. He was released on August 30, 2022, and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. Shelton won his second Super Bowl ring when the Chiefs defeated the

in Super Bowl LVII. He signed a reserve/future contract on February 15, 2023. On August 29, 2023, Shelton was released by the Chiefs and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on September 19.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Shelton's mother is Samoan, and his father is

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

. He often speaks with pride about his Samoan heritage and dons a lavalava, a traditional Polynesian cloth worn like a kilt or skirt. On May 1, 2011, Shelton and his brothers were involved in an altercation at an apartment complex in

. One brother died of a gunshot wound, while another was wounded in the incident.

References

External links

Washington Huskies bioOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, Danny 1993 births Living people American football defensive tackles American sportspeople of Peruvian descent American sportspeople of Samoan descent Players of American football from King County, Washington Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions players New England Patriots players New York Giants players Kansas City Chiefs players Sportspeople from Auburn, Washington Washington Huskies football players Washington Huskies men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Washington (state) Pacific Islander American players of American football Hispanic and Latino American players of American football