| Sojourn Shelton | |
| Number: | 23, 31 |
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Birth Date: | 25 December 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 9 |
| Weight Lbs: | 177 |
| High School: | Plantation (Plantation, Florida) |
| College: | Wisconsin |
| Undraftedyear: | 2017 |
| Pastteams: |
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| Highlights: |
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| Pfr: | ShelSo01 |
Sojourn Shelton II (born December 25, 1994) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Wisconsin, and was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Shelton attended Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida. He was a defensive back for their football team. As a senior, he was rated as a four-star recruit and the 27th best cornerback in the nation.[1] After receiving offers from several big colleges such as Florida State, Ole Miss, and West Virginia, Shelton committed to the University of Wisconsin–Madison to play college football.[2]
In his first year with the Badgers in 2013, Shelton played all 13 games in the season which included 12 starts at cornerback, in which he recorded thirty-six tackles, four interceptions (tying for third in the Big Ten), and seven pass breakups. He became the first true freshmen to start in a season opener since Travis Frederick in 2009. In 2014, he had a season that only included 33 tackles and 6 pass breakups.[3]
In 2015, Shelton seemed to have an increasingly mediocre season, statistically. He recorded 27 tackles, one interception, and seven pass breakups. His sole interception came in the fourth quarter of the 2015 Holiday Bowl helping seal a 23-21 victory over The University of Southern California Trojans. In his final season with Wisconsin in 2016, he had a career high season in interceptions and pass breakups with 4 interceptions and 12 pass-breakups. On November 26, 2016, he logged a 2 interception game against Minnesota.[4]
After what most analysts called an "above average" career at Wisconsin, he was projected to go undrafted by NFL.com. He was invited to the 2016 NFL Combine, where he performed in every workout besides the splits. He achieved a 4.02 second 20-yard shuttle, which ranked third best in his position. He attended the Wisconsin Badgers Pro day, where he chose to only do the 40 yard dash, broad jump, and three cone drill.[5]
Shelton was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2017.[6] He was waived on September 2, 2017.[7]
On September 4, 2017, Shelton was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad.[8] He was released on October 27, 2017.[9] On November 14, 2017, Shelton was signed back to the Bengals practice squad.[10] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bengals on January 1, 2018.[11]
On August 23, 2018, Shelton was waived by the Bengals.[12]
On August 11, 2019, Shelton was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles.[13] He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.[14]
On November 13, 2019, Shelton was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.[15] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on December 30, 2019.[16]
On June 1, 2020, Shelton was released by the Cardinals.[17]
On December 30, 2020, Shelton signed with the practice squad of the Chicago Bears.[18] His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 18, 2021.[19]