Downingtown’s Drew Shelton prepares for draft in Texas, joining an academy of sorts for NFL offensive linemen

FRISCO, Texas — Pennsylvania has been Drew Shelton’s home for the majority of his life. The Downingtown native, who starred at Downingtown West and was Penn State’s starting left tackle the last two seasons, is adjusting to life down South.

Shelton, 22, recently relocated to the Dallas area as he prepares for the next phase of his life with the impending NFL Scouting Combine next month and April’s NFL draft looming.

“It’s been a big transition down here,” Shelton told The Inquirer in a Frisco hotel lobby. “I haven’t lived away from home in a really long time, been in Pennsylvania pretty much all my life. I’m being down here and learning how to be on my own.”

» READ MORE: Downingtown West’s Drew Shelton has seamlessly filled the left tackle spot for Penn State

It has been quite the journey for Shelton, who was a tight end in high school until he made a position switch to offensive tackle, helping further his playing career. Shelton sat behind 2024 first-round pick Olu Fashanu, although he briefly filled in for an injured Fashanu for five games in 2022 as a freshman.

The 6-foot-5, 296-pound Shelton started all 16 games for Penn State’s College Football Playoff appearance in the 2024 season and started all 12 regular-season games in 2025 for the Nittany Lions, whose season didn’t go as expected. But Shelton still thinks of his college experience fondly.

“Coming from Downingtown and growing into the offensive lineman that I needed to be at Penn State, and continuing to grow to be the offensive tackle I need to be in the NFL, it’s been fun. It’s been a challenge,” Shelton said. “You’re never going to be the player that you want to be overnight. It’s just you’ve got to consistently put in the work. And that’s really hard to tell an 18-year-old kid that you’re not going to be the starting left tackle at Penn State on Day 1. I guess it’s hard to come to terms with, but once you really understand and have the patience, that’s a big part of who you are and what you’re going to be.”

The next phase of Shelton’s life is in Texas because it’s where he is training for the combine, his pro day, and workouts with NFL teams. Shelton is working with Duke Manyweather, the cofounder of OL Masterminds, alongside Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson. Manyweather trains current and soon-to-be NFL offensive linemen at Sports Academy in Frisco.

And he won’t be alone. Former teammates Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State’s left guard, and Nolan Rucci, the Nittany Lions’ right tackle, are among the 15 draft-eligible offensive linemen working with the offensive line guru.

Manyweather’s “got some of the top offensive linemen in the league and in the draft,” said Shelton, who had meetings with NFL scouts and executives while they were in town for the East-West Shrine Bowl. “He puts a lot of work into us, builds us up, breaks us all the way down to stance to the fundamentals and all that kind of stuff, and builds us right back up.”

» READ MORE: Penn State’s Drew Shelton blocked for Will Howard at Downingtown West.

Shelton, who accepted his invite for the Senior Bowl in December, will not participate in the All-Star game to focus on his training and pre-draft process. Throughout his journey, Shelton has remained connected to former teammate Will Howard, whom he played with at Downingtown West and has been one of his closest friends for a long time.

Howard led Ohio State to a national championship and was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shelton is hoping to follow in his footsteps, becoming the second Downingtown West alum to reach the NFL in as many years.

“Seeing someone that you know, and someone that you’ve played with … reach his goals, and obviously continuing to strive to for the next set of goals, that’s been cool,” Shelton said. “And for me personally, like, that’s a dream come true. Every kid dreams of being a professional athlete, and just to be have that be a reality here soon is pretty cool.”