Durkin's Prospect Watch: DT Danny Shelton

By Dan Durkin—

(CBS) As the Bears transition from a 4-3 base scheme to a 3-4, the biggest impact is along the defensive front. A new set of athletic profiles and techniques will be deployed in the Bears' multiple-front defense guided by coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Traditionally, the engine of a 3-4 defense is the nose or "shade" defensive tackle, who is a stout, two-gapping presence.

Times have changed, and teams have started to use quicker athletes at the shade -- as the Cowboys previously did with current Bears defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff -- but a traditional nose tackle can be a difference-maker on the interior of the defensive line.

Today, we take a look at the draft's top nose tackle prospect: Washington's Danny Shelton.

DT Danny Shelton (6-foot-2, 339 pounds, 21, Washington)

40-yard dash: 5.64
Three-cone: 7.99
Bench: 34
Vertical: 30 1/2"
Arm: 32"

Bio: Shelton arrived in Seattle as a first-team all-Washington prep offensive and defensive lineman. He moved exclusively to defense for the Huskies and found the field in his true freshman season, playing in all 13 games and making one start. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore, finishing with 45 tackles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and a half-sack. In his junior year, he had 59 tackles, three-and-a-half tackles for loss, three passes defended and two sacks. Shelton ascended in his senior season, finishing with 93 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, nine-and-a-half sacks, five fumble recoveries and three quarterback hurries, earning first-team All-American honors.

In all, Shelton made 41 starts at Washington, never missing a game. He was used primarily as a shade tackle, lining up over the center, but was also utilized over the guard when new coach Chris Peterson arrived at Washington in 2014. He finished with 204 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. He was thrice named to the first-team Pac-12 All-Academic as an anthropology major.

How he fits the Bears' scheme: Shelton would immediately plug in as the nose tackle in Vic Fangio's scheme. He's stout at the point of attack, showing the ability to anchor and dominate one-on-one blocking situations. His presence was routinely felt in the run game, as offensive linemen were frequently unable to get any movement on Shelton, who occupied two gaps and altered the aiming point of opposing running schemes. His grip strength is evident, as when he has a ball-carrier in his grasp, he rarely misses the tackle.

Shelton's lower center of gravity works to his advantage. He also displays natural flexibility for his size and plays with a low pad level to get underneath blockers to gain a leverage advantage. He has powerful and active hands to strike and separate from blockers and collapse the pocket on interior rushes. While he's most impactful against the run, he displays an aggressive arm-over and swipe move when splitting a gap on a bull rush. It's rare for a nose tackle to get nine sacks in one season, so that's a testament to his combination of explosion off the snap and a quick change of direction.

Shelton's 40 time was slow, but defensive linemen aren't running that distance on a snap-by-snap basis. He showed his lower-body explosion by posting a 30 1/2-inch vertical. Conditioning will be Shelton's biggest battle in the NFL. He did wear down at times during games, standing straight up out of his stance or stopping his feet when stalemated. To avoid being a two-down player in a 30-front, he must be able to play over a guard (as he did at times during his senior season) in sub packages.

Draft projection: A defensive tackle has been selected in the top 14 over the past five drafts. Dontari Poe was the last nose tackle to go high in the draft (11th overall to the Chiefs in 2012). While Shelton isn't the athlete that Poe is, he's an immediate starter and the best run defender in this draft. He should be a top-15 selection.

Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.