If spring practices were any indication, Caleb Downs is going to be the center of attention in training camp. He might have the most eyes on him of any player on the roster not named George Pickens or Jaydon Blue, so you can imagine how difficult Malachi Lawrence might find to knock Downs out of the spotlight.
As a first-round pick, though, Lawrence will naturally have his own audience. That will leave rookies like Drew Shelton, Devin Moore, and LT Overton fighting to stand out with their play.
If there was one Cowboys draft pick that received pushback, it was Shelton, the first of Dallas' three fourth-round selections. That was widely considered the sweet spot to take a running back, making it difficult for fans to get excited about a Day 3 offensive lineman.
However, Shelton is already giving the Cowboys reason to feel good about the selection. He took the backup left tackle reps during minicamp, suggesting that he is already on a level playing field with former seventh-round pick Nate Thomas, who played in all 17 games last season.
Cowboys' Drew Shelton pick wasn't sexy, but it could pay huge dividends
Even though he's already challenging Thomas in the LT competition, Shelton could be deployed all over the offensive line, per Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com.
"While Shelton has primarily played left tackle throughout his career, it sounds like he'll be tried on the other side at right tackle, and may even get some work inside at guard too," Yarrish wrote. "Shelton is a well-rounded player, but comes from a run-heavy offense at Penn State that should mesh well with the concepts that Klayton Adams and Conor Riley, who recruited Shelton out of high school, have instilled over the last year in the room."
First-round picks Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence were all the rage in OTAs and minicamp, but Shelton is quietly vindicating the Cowboys' decision to select him No. 112 overall.
Expectations should always be tempered for Day 3 picks, but it'd be hard to overstate how important it'd be if Dallas trusted Shelton to contribute as a rookie. The tackle positions remain one of the offense's few question marks, and Shelton could prove invaluable if Guyton or Steele struggles or lands on the injury report.
A report from ESPN revealed that some folks inside the Cowboys' war room wanted to draft Shelton in Round 3. The team is confident in his ability to play tackle in the NFL, and it's easy to see why.
Cowboys fans shouldn't overlook rookie OT Drew Shelton
The Penn State product is an outstanding athlete, posting an 8.76 Relative Athletic Score. His 31-inch vertical jump and 9-foot-4 broad jump both ranked among the best of any offensive tackle prospect in the class. A former basketball player, Shelton's footwork and fluidity stand out on film.
He still needs to add functional strength to better anchor against NFL defensive linemen, but he more than held his own in the Big Ten. According to Pro Football Focus, Shelton surrendered just one sack and 18 pressures across 365 pass-blocking snaps in his final season with the Nittany Lions.
It will be more difficult given the position he plays, but the ideal path for Shelton resembles that of former Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz, who made four starts in 12 appearances as a rookie before locking down a full-time starting job in Year 2.
Maybe Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele keep Shelton on the bench, but Cowboys fans shouldn't overlook Shelton just because there's so much hype around Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, and third-round pick Jaishawn Barham.
The early signs from Shelton are very promising.
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