CLEVELAND: The thought of lining up next to Myles Garrett or Jonathan Allen puts a smile on Danny Shelton’s face.
So Shelton would be giddy if the Browns were to draft one of those defensive linemen No. 1 overall on April 27.
“There’s some great guys, and I’m all for D-line,” Shelton, a defensive tackle built like a vending machine, said Saturday before he signed autographs during the Cleveland Auto Show at the I-X Center. “So if they want to help out the D-line, go right ahead because we’ve got a bunch of great guys, and I just know that those guys would make us even better.”
The Browns need plenty of help after going 1-15 this past season, the worst in franchise history.
Garrett, a defensive end from Texas A&M, and Allen, a defensive tackle from Alabama, could be part of the equation. Almost all draft analysts have labeled Garrett the front-runner to become the top pick, though Allen shouldn’t be dismissed.
No matter whom the Browns select, they’re confident the defense will be more reliable just by virtue of coach Hue Jackson hiring defensive coordinator Gregg Williams this offseason.
“He’s like a super serious coach,” Shelton, who’ll enter his third NFL season in the fall, said of Williams. “But at the same time, I can tell he has a lot of passion for the game, and he wants the best out of all of us.”
Shelton, the 12th overall pick in 2015, already met Williams, defensive line coach Clyde Simmons and the rest of the defense’s new staff in person.
“Those guys seem really just amped up to get started with us,” Shelton said. “I can tell they’re going to really demand a lot from us. I’m excited for it.”
Shelton can’t wait for the offseason workout program to begin April 17 partly because he feels as if he’s “got a new hand.” He had surgery on his left wrist in late January to alleviate an injury he had been coping with since his days at the University of Washington. He aggravated it Nov. 10 against the Baltimore Ravens.
“I had some bone fragments in there,” said Shelton, who recently shed a cast. “Had a big chunk in there and they just went in, cleaned it out. Dr. [Kevin] Malone did a great job, already back, got the cast off and slowly getting back to lifting and mobility.”
Shelton hopes the surgery will allow him to “have a dominant season” in 2017. He spent the past two years playing nose tackle in a 3-4 system, but he’s confident he’ll fit well in Williams’ 4-3 base defense because he played on a four-man line in college and in some sub packages in 2016.
After a disappointing rookie year, Shelton played much better last season and finished fourth on the team with 59 tackles, including 1.5 sacks. He credited members of the previous coaching staff for his development and admitted it’s not ideal to have three D-coordinators in as many years.
“There is a frustrating side [to coaching changes], but at the same time it’s part of the business,” Shelton said. “... I’m just looking forward to moving beyond this last season.”
Everyone associated with the Browns is ready to leave 1-15 in the rearview mirror.
“[We’re] taking that and putting it on our shoulders and using it as motivation,” Shelton said.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.