The Cowboys drafted Penn State tackle Drew Shelton, and he isn't here to make up the numbers.
The Dallas Cowboys' primary focus in the NFL Draft was to address the several defensive deficiencies for new coordinator Christian Parker.
For the most part, Dallas did that.
But they also might have just created a position battle this offseason along the offensive line.
Taken with the 112th overall pick, Penn State left tackle Drew Shelton now makes his way to The Star to be a cog in Klayton Adams' offense and to work under offensive line guru Conor Riley.
With Tyler Guyton struggling with form and staying on the field, and Nate Thomas, who has been so-so when stepping in, Dallas clearly felt another body was needed.
That led them to Shelton, who has a lot of experience that he'll be bringing to The Star.
“We really like his smooth footwork,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said on Shelton. "He's in a good athlete, plays well in space, we think he is a guy that's going to go out there and he's got a really good understanding of angles and how to get in people's way. We just like the traits, and we bet on a guy that's played, I think, 34 starts."
So Shelton comes to the Cowboys low on the depth chart, with Guyton and Thomas ahead of him...for now.
We know how Schottenheimer likes his players to compete, and there is no player, aside from a handful like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Quinnen Williams, who are assured of their spot week in, week out.
And when it comes to Shelton, Schottenheimer made it known that the rookie, while he will have many roles, is here to battle with Guyton and Thomas this offseason.
"Get him in here to compete with some of the guys we got," Schottenheimer added. "We're looking forward to throwing him in the mix with [Tyler] Guyton and Nate Thomas. He'll be a left tackle that's got some guard versatility, but we also expect him to be able to swing to the other side as well."
So, it is clear that Shelton is going to be in the thick of the training camp battles in Oxnard, and while Guyton and Thomas will now be looking over their shoulder, so too will be Terence Steele, who is coming off an up-and-down 2025 season.
The draft often sends a lot of messages to players and fans, and this one is rather pointed to Dallas' offensive line room -- the pressure is on.