Shane Ray: Latest News, Rumors and Speculation on DE's NFL Draft Stock

Shane Ray, the star defensive end from the University of Missouri, is considered to be one of the top players taken in the 2015 NFL draft. He's got a lot of time to convince scouts where his new home should be, but there's already movement in his stock. 

Continue for updates. 

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Pauline: Jaguars, Titans Interested in Ray

Tony Pauline of DraftInsiders.net reported that the Jaguars and Titans are both interested in Ray.

This is a bad year to be a defensive lineman or edge-rusher in the draft because there's so much talent, especially in the first round, fighting for attention. 

Ray has already established himself as one of the clear standouts in a deep class thanks to his performance in 2014. The junior set a new Missouri record with 14.5 sacks last year while also recording 65 total tackles and 22.5 tackles for loss. 

Scouts were raving about Ray long before the NFL Scouting Combine started. Luke Thompson of Fox Sports Midwest shared this quote from draft expert Russ Lande of Sporting News: "[Scouts] love his explosion off the ball. Unlike most really high-end pass rushers, he's a strong, powerful kid who can get off blocks at the point of attack."

However, Ray wasn't able to display these skills at the combine due to injury, per Josh Norris of NBC Sports:

NFL.com's Chase Goodbread provided Ray's take on the injury:

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Unfortunately (Sunday) I won't be able to perform because of an injury I had in my bowl game with my foot. So everything that is listed for tomorrow as far as the 40, and all the athletic drills, I'll be doing on my pro day.

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Norris told Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network that Ray was one of two edge-rushers to watch at the combine:

The concern for Ray coming into the NFL is about his size. He's listed at 6'3" and 245 pounds, both small by typical professional standards, which led to this quote from NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah in a chat with the Jacksonville Jaguars' website:

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I’m anxious to see how big he is, because they list him at 6-2, 245 – around there, and I’ve heard from scouts that have gone in there that he’s going to measure in around 6-1. He’s not very long, and he’s not very heavy. 

That could be one to keep an eye on because on tape he’s outstanding, but if he comes in a little bit smaller than everyone expected that could hurt his stock a little bit.

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There are certain positions where scouts won't focus on size as much, but edge-rusher usually isn't one of them. Ray does possess tremendous explosiveness off the line to get around offensive linemen. The problem comes when he runs into someone who is able to overpower him. 

Even though Ray can't change his measurables, the 2014 All-American has a lot of great tape to show NFL teams. He also has two months to dazzle scouts on the field in workouts and in interviews, which is certainly going to carry a lot of weight before the draft.