Cincinnati Bengals: Projecting rookie roles in 2021
By Kyle Smith
Projecting Cincinnati Bengals Rookie Roles – Tyler Shelvin (DT)
The selection of Tyler Shelvin had some fans scratching their heads but taking a deeper look, putting Tyler Shelvin next to D.J. Reader is a scary thought for opposing offensive lines.
Shelvin is a mammoth of a man coming in at 6’2” and 250 pounds. During his 2019 season at LSU, Shelvin raked in 39 total tackles, including three for a loss but those stats don’t show the whole story — Put on the tape and you’ll see an absolute game wrecker of a nose tackle.
While he may not load up the stat sheet, Shelvin was a run stuffer and a key piece to the LSU championship defense. Unfortunately, Shelvin sat out the 2020 season due to COVID concerns but he used his year off to slim down and come into the offseason in excellent shape.
Shelvin looks to be a rotational piece to give D.J. Reader a rest as he recovers from a torn quadricep. In a division with Nick Chubb, J.K. Dobbins, and Najee Harris, Shelvin could see more playtime than originally thought.
The key will be Shelvin staying in shape and continuing his development behind Reader.