Shelton Wants More Than a Sojourn in Arizona
ex-Wisconsin Badger Sojourn Shelton signs as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals
After not being selected in the NFL Draft, ex-Badger CB Sojourn Shelton reached an agreement with the Arizona Cardinals. He will have a tough road ahead of him to latch on given his lack of ideal size for a CB.
Shelton had an impressive career at Wisconsin being a valuable member of the Wisconsin defense from the moment he stepped on campus. From his official UW football bio.
"Started a school-record 51 games … matched school record with 54 games played … recorded 9 interceptions, matching eighth-most in school history … logged 32 pass breakups, fourth-most by a UW player … total of 41 passes defended ranks No. 6 all-time at UW2016: First-team All-Big Ten (media), second-team All-Big Ten (coaches)2015: All-Big Ten honorable mention (media)2013: All-Big Ten honorable mention (media), All-Freshman honorable mention (College Football News)"
Next: Wisconsin Badger Undrafted Free Agent RB Summary
The Cardinals list six S and eight CB on their roster with five of the S under 6′ and two of the CB under 6′. After next season, two S and two CB will reach some form of free agency and two more CB are Exclusive Rights or Restricted Free Agents come 2019.
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Shelton had a solid NFL Combine but perhaps was lost amid the depth of the CB and S in the 2017 draft. His 3-Cone time (6.92) and 20-Yard Shuttle (4.02) were particularly impressive suggesting he could find a role as a slot CB in the NFL. His 3-Cone time was the third fastest at the Combine.
Perhaps a decent comparison would be Jason Verrett the 2014 1st round pick of the then San Diego Chargers. Verrett is perhaps generously listed at 5’10”. Verrett tested better overall, showing more explosiveness in the jumps, faster 40 and 3-Cone, but had a nearly identical 20-Yard shuttle of 4.00.
Another comparison would by Tyrann Mathhieu of the Arizona Cardinals who is also listed at 5’9″ and fell to the Cardinals in round three of the 2013 NFL Draft due to off the field concerns. Shelton had about the same 40 as Mathhieu but Shelton had better jumps, bench press, than Matthieu. Matthieu was .05 faster in the 3-Cone but Shelton was .12 faster in the 20-Yard shuttle.
The point is that being short is an impediment but not uniformly disqualifying. Shelton definitely more than meets the athleticism minimums to succeed at the NFL level. Arizona is not afraid of using shorter players given the success they have had with Mathieu and drafting 5’10’ S Budda Baker in round 2. Height will be an issue for him but perhaps as much will be weight. Shelton was listed at 168 pounds at Wisconsin and 177 pounds by the NFL Combine. To be effective blocking or covering kicks on special teams or playing in the slot he will need to show some physical play and be a willing and effective tackler. Hopefully Shelton can continue to add weight without sacrificing his quickness and speed. Shelton amassed 125 tackles at Wisconsin which averages to 2.4/game. Playing in the slot he will need to help out crashing down on running plays and limiting YAC on short completions. I think his tackling will be far more instructive as to his NFL chances than his height.