At Penn State and throughout the NFL Draft process, Drew Shelton was overshadowed by teammate Vega Ioane.

Shelton, a two-year starter at left tackle for the Nittany Lions, played directly next to Ioane at left guard, with Ioane being picked 14th overall by the Baltimore Ravens.

While he didn’t garner as much attention as Ioane and had to wait slightly longer to hear his name called, Shelton is also NFL-bound, having been selected in the fourth round, 112th overall, by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

Shelton is the third Penn State player, following Ioane and quarterback Drew Allar (Steelers, 76th overall), to be drafted this year in Pittsburgh.

Shelton, who measured in at 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds at the NFL Combine, credited practice reps against elite teammates at Penn State as having sharpened his abilities.

“Every day at Penn State, going against guys like Chop (Robinson), Abdul (Carter), Dani (Dennis-Sutton) — it made me better and taught me how to compete,” Shelton said at the NFL Combine. “It’s prepared me for (the NFL). There’s no better way to learn than to do it.”

A Downingtown native, Shelton played in 48 total games for the Nittany Lions, starting 34.

Beginning in 2024, he emerged as Penn State’s full-time starter at left tackle and, in both 2024 and 2025, he received All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades.

Shelton, a four-star prospect out of Downington West High School, was thrown into the fire early at Penn State, starting five games at left tackle for eventual first-round 2024 draft pick Olu Fashanu, who suffered a season-ending injury.

In 2023, he made one start but appeared in 13 games, honing his craft as a reserve.