Danny Shelton receives high praise from teammates, compared to Haloti Ngata

Cleveland Browns first round pick Danny Shelton was drafted to be the cornerstone of the team’s defensive line. He has shown a lot of promise so far in training camp and it seems like his fellow teammates are taking notice as the 6-foot-2, 339-pound defensive tackle has even received comparisons to Pro Bowl defensive lineman Haloti Ngata due to his size, strength and unexpected quickness off of the ball.

On Monday, right guard John Greco said, “I just like the energy he [Shelton] brings. He is a big dude. There is no hiding that. Normally, guys like that, you just have to sit on their power, but he has quicks and he can move, which is great. It makes him a multi-dimensional player.”

Shelton will be competing and also playing alongside Phil Taylor on the Browns defensive line. Taylor is very excited about the prospects of playing side by side with Shelton, saying on Monday that, “Danny is a great rookie. He is a great guy. He has energy. He brings a different type of player to the D-line. We love Danny. We are all embracing him, his attitude and he has that motor.”

Like Ngata, Danny Shelton is a huge defensive lineman with unique and incredible athleticism for a player his size. Browns outside linebacker Paul Kruger noted this similarity after Monday’s practice. Kruger said, “He [Shelton] is obviously a big boy who can move and having that presence there pushing the pocket is – in that way, he is really comparable to (DL) Haloti Ngata and some of the other guys who have really made a name for themselves pushing the pocket like that. I think he has that ability.” Kruger goes on saying that Shelton has “a little different skillset and body type [from Ngata], but the one thing you can compare is the power and the ability to move at that size.”

This is all very praise from the team’s best pass rusher and a former teammate of the former Baltimore Raven Haloti Ngata. It is not a surprise though that Shelton is getting compared to Ngata as he grew up a fan of the former Raven, due in part because of their similar backgrounds as Polynesian football players. “Haloti was definitely a guy that all Polynesians looked up to,” said Shelton. “He’s just that figure. He had the body, shape; he had all the tangibles to be great. I hope that I’m on the right track just to be where he’s at.”

“It is going to be exciting to see him out on the field,” said Kruger. It’s not only the fans who are excited to see the former University of Washington defensive lineman. Shelton has his fellow teammates and fans clamoring to see him on Thursday for the Browns first preseason game.

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