Penn State tackle brings 34 career starts and elite footwork to a Cowboys line that needed insurance
After three consecutive defensive picks across the first two nights of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys shifted direction today and selected Penn State offensive tackle Drew Shelton with the 112th overall pick in the fourth round. The move addressed an underappreciated depth need on a line that has leaned heavily on its veterans without developing a credible swing tackle option behind them.
Shelton stands 6 feet 5 and weighs 313 pounds. He made 34 career starts at Penn State, including five as a true freshman in 2022 when he stepped in after starter Olu Fashanu was injured. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition in both 2024 and 2025 and appeared in 48 games across his collegiate career. He is a Downingtown, Pennsylvania native who played his prep ball at Downingtown West High School.
What Shelton does better than most linemen his size
The reason Dallas took Shelton is not his strength. It is his movement. He carries a basketball background that translates directly to lateral quickness and footwork in pass sets, allowing him to reach positions at the line of scrimmage that most offensive tackles at his weight cannot access. He allowed zero sacks on 359 pass protection snaps in 2025, finishing the season with an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 70.6 and a 71.2 in pass protection specifically.
His quick feet let him mirror edge rushers through their speed moves, and his recovery ability gives him second chances in protection that most developmental linemen simply do not have. For teams running a zone-heavy outside scheme that values reach blocking over raw power, his profile is a natural fit. Dallas runs exactly that kind of system.
He also brings versatility. Shelton has experience at both tackle spots, which expands his role as a backup and gives offensive line coaches genuine options when managing game-day injuries.
It’s going down in Dallas!
Drew Shelton is a Cowboy 🤠 @DallasCowboys#WeAre x @DrewShelt7 pic.twitter.com/YJTiowDPVH
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) April 25, 2026
Where the concerns are real
Evaluators across multiple outlets pointed to the same weaknesses. Shelton’s functional strength at the point of attack is not yet where it needs to be for consistent NFL snaps. He can lose his base on contact against bull rushers, and stronger defenders have pushed him back into the pocket when they convert speed-to-power moves. He opens his hips too early in pass protection, creating inside rush lanes that experienced NFL pass rushers will identify quickly.
Run blocking remains the softer half of his game. His PFF run blocking grade of 66.4 reflects a player who has upside in that area but has not yet converted athleticism into consistent finishing at the line. Those are correctable issues for a player who has shown clear year-over-year improvement throughout his college career, but they explain why a tackle with 34 starts and a clean sack sheet was still available at pick 112.
How he fits on the Cowboys’ roster
Dallas already has Tyler Smith, Tyler Guyton, and Terence Steele holding the primary offensive line spots. Shelton is not arriving to displace any of them immediately. He enters as depth with a developmental ceiling, a player who can push for a swing tackle role in 2026 while building the strength base that would make him a genuine starting candidate over the next two seasons.
The Cowboys have drafted offensive linemen well in recent cycles, and Shelton fits the profile they have historically valued at this stage of the draft. The pick earned a B minus grade from several analysts, not because the player is wrong for the team but because the timing was slightly early relative to where most boards had him placed.
Shelton credited the daily competition at Penn State, facing high-caliber teammates in practice, as the environment that shaped his readiness for the next level. Dallas is betting that the foundation built in University Park is worth developing the rest of the way.