FRISCO — Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer joked during the owners meetings in Arizona that offensive coordinator Klayton Adams would knock on is door during the pre-draft process with a message. He didn’t want Schottenheimer to completely forget about offense in the 2026 NFL draft, despite their obvious needs on defense.
Schottenheimer proved he didn’t forget about Adams and the offense, even if it took until Day 3 of the draft.
The Cowboys selected Penn State offensive tackle Drew Shelton with their first pick on Saturday. Shelton, the 112th overall pick, was ranked as the 15th overall tackle in the draft, according to The Athletic.
Shelton has plenty of familiarity with the Cowboys. Once Penn State’s season ended he started working with offensive line expert and coach Duke Manyweather, who’s located in Frisco. There, he worked alongside current Cowboys tackle Terence Steele. Shelton even said that he went to the Cowboys’ final home game of the season against the Chargers as a fan.
“That being the last NFL game I’ve been to was kind of foreshadowing of what’s to come,” Shelton said.
“That stadium is crazy. It’s an awesome atmosphere and the people around are invested. That’s the kind of organization you want to play for.”
Shelton started two seasons for Penn State. He was an honorable mention all-conference selection in both seasons. Shelton is looked at as an athletic prospect with the chance to develop. His high school basketball career speaks to that athleticism.
“His athleticism and ability to get to any angle necessary in the run game makes him a fit for teams favoring outside zone,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein said of Shelton in his pre-draft profile. “However, he’s likely to struggle with consistency unless he gets stronger and plays with better body control.”
Shelton allowed one sack and committed one penalty last season. He’s made 34 starts in four seasons.
The Cowboys want competition at their tackle spots. As of right now they plan to have a competition between Nate Thomas and former first round pick Tyler Guyton in training camp. If neither of them can cement the left tackle spot then they’ve been open to potentially moving Tyler Smith from left guard to left tackle.
After Day 2 of the draft, Schottenheimer made it clear they planned to stick to their board. They wanted to take the best player available, regardless of whether they played on offense or defense. They did that with Shelton — and adhered to Adams’ pre-draft reminders for Schottenheimer.
Shelton, according to scouting reports, is an athletic, developmental prospect. Shelton understands that and he’s motivated to make the most of his talent.
“Nobody is a finished product,” he said. “It would be silly of me to come in and think I made it right now. I know I’ve got to work every single day to become the best version of myself and make Dallas proud, ultimately.”