Why Danny Shelton Should Be Cleveland Browns' Ultimate NFL Draft Target

In recent seasons, the Cleveland Browns have had the displeasure of consistently facing hulking defensive tackles Casey Hampton (formerly) of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Haloti Ngata of the Baltimore Ravens. Now, general manager Ray Farmer has a chance to grab one of his own in former Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton.

A strong argument can be made for Cleveland desperately needing to draft a wide receiver—such as Louisville's DeVante Parker—at pick No. 12 due to the Josh Gordon situation, but Shelton fills an even greater positional need.

Garry Jones/Associated Press

According to Pro Football Focus, the nose tackle position was Cleveland's greatest defensive weakness in 2014. Impending free agent Ahtyba Rubin received a negative-14.3 rating and ranked 35th out of 48 qualifying defensive tackles with a 5.8 run-stop percentage.

While defending against the run was a weakness for Rubin this past season, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller noted run defense as an area that Shelton excels in:

"

Strength and athleticism are big pluses for Danny Shelton, but his instincts & read/react vs. the run are awesome.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 16, 2015"

Shelton would immediately strengthen the nose tackle position for the Browns, as NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes the hulking interior defensive lineman is a Day 1 starter.

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The monstrous defensive tackle stands at 6'2" and weighs 339 pounds. His height may not be ideal but, according to Mock Draftable, Shelton's weight puts him in the 96th percentile at his position. By comparison, former New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork stands at 6'2" and weighs 325 pounds, which coincidentally is also Shelton's pro comparison made by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Shelton didn't exactly blow folks away at the NFL Scouting Combine—he did record 34 bench press repetitions, which was tied for second best—but this shouldn't lower his draft stock much. His 5.64-second 40-yard dash time certainly isn't ideal, but Shelton likely won't be running 40 yards in a straight line very often from his interior defensive line position.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Although his combine performance didn't blow scouts away, his senior year statistics at Washington certainly should. Per Sports-Reference, Shelton recorded nine sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss and 93 total tackles. Simply, this is an obscene amount of production from a guy playing inside the defensive trenches.

In his most recent mock draft, Miller has Shelton being drafted by the Chicago Bears at seventh overall. However, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has the mammoth nose tackle falling to the Browns at No. 12. To be more direct, Shelton is a realistic option for Cleveland with its first first-round selection.

Obviously, it would be nice to add an offensive weapon for either Josh McCown or Johnny Manziel at 12th overall, but the Browns need to focus on their defensive line. Cleveland could still add a premier wide receiver talent such as Arizona State's Jaelen Strong or Missouri's Dorial Green-Beckham at pick No. 19, but there won't be a defensive tackle prospect as groundbreaking (or scheme-perfect) as Shelton available by this point.

With Mike Pettine at the helm, the Browns defense is beginning to improve considerably, and the addition of Shelton to fortify the team's three-man front would pay both immediate and long-term dividends.

For more NFL news, statistics and discussion, find me on Twitter @RobertReidell.