What LSU Football's Tyler Shelvin Hopes to Prove to NFL Teams After Opt Out Year
Tyler Shelvin has received the two same questions from NFL organizations over the last several months. Is his weight under control and is he a good pass rusher?
The first question is something that Shelvin has battled throughout his entire career at LSU. Coming in as the No. 1 ranked player in Louisiana back in 2017, it took Shelvin two years to get his weight under control before he could finally see signifcant snaps.
"The main things I really focus on because I mean, my football game, speaks for itself, it's just learning how to control those things," Shelvin said.
After appearing in just seven games during the 2018 season, Shelvin would appear in all 15 during LSU's run towards a national championship, recording 39 tackles and three tackles for a loss. A traditional nose tackle, Shlevin and his 350-pound size established himself as an elite run defender on the interior, usually chewing up two offensive linemen on a given play.
That kind of attention helped open up opportunities for his teammates around him to have success. While he dominated the interior from a running perspective, it's important for all defensive linemen to be able to get after the quarterback in today's game. Shelvin has spent the last several months working on his pass rush moves and trying to prove that he can be an all around lineman and not just one that excels in one or two areas.
"When I opted out, I learned about nutrition. I had a game plan, executed it well and I came back in good shape and I was ready to go," Shelvin said. "That goes for the same thing on how to pass rush and explosive. I mean it was a hard process but I executed it well. A few things that I worked on with my pass rush, learning how to get off my steps, reading the center guard tackle how they set, "
Shelvin spent most of the opt out year training, first with Ryan Clark at Traction Sports Performance in Baton Rouge before moving to Dallas for a while and training out there.
Viewed as a mid round pick, an NFL team will need to have a strategy with Shelvin when drafting him. Shelvin weighed in at 350 pounds during last week's pro day so it's fair to summize that the NFL team that drafts him will want to shed significant weight upon arrival.
After not playing a year, Shelvin, who wasn't considered to be a first or even second round pick, also was asked by NFL organizations why he opted out. The answer was directly affiliated with COVID-19 as a few of his family members contracted the virus. But he also wanted to let teams know that he's fully dedicated to improving as a football player and believes he can be a real asset to a contending team.
"What I tell most teams who might want to pick me, I'll give you 110% of me, day in day out," Shevin said. "It's the next level, you got to work for what you want, but most thing I really tell these teams is, I don't care about a paycheck. I just want my name to be out there, be known."
