Missouri defensive end Shane Ray didn't perform poorly at Missouri's pro-day event on Thursday, but compared to the other top edge rushers in the draft -- Nebraska's Randy Gregory, Florida's Dante Fowler, Clemson's Vic Beasley and Kentucky's Bud Dupree -- the SEC Defensive Player of the Year didn't quite measure up.
"His numbers today were not great," said NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" Thursday. "As a matter of fact, if you stack his numbers up against the other top four guys in my top-five edge-rush group, you'd see that all of his numbers, starting with a 4.68 40, his cone drills, his jumps, were not as good as the other four guys."
Beasley led all linebackers at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.53 time in the 40. Dupree ran a 4.56, Fowler a 4.60 and Gregory a 4.64.
However, Mayock noted that the game film on Ray is more impressive, and more important, than the measurables he posted Thursday.
Indeed, NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Thursday on "Path to the Draft" that Ray's pro day was far from a disaster.
"It's not a bad workout, it's just not what those other guys in this class with phenomenal numbers put up (at the combine)," Jeremiah said.
Ray recorded 14.5 sacks for Missouri last season to lead the SEC, and should benefit from the fact that a significant number of NFL clubs with a top-10 pick have a clear need for a pass rusher. Among them: the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants.
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