Shane Ray plays big.
But does he measure big enough?
That will be a primary question on the star pass rusher from Missouri upon his arrival at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis next week, according to NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah. While many of the top seniors available in the draft have already had their true size exposed at the Senior Bowl weigh-in last month, the draft's underclassmen have not. And Jeremiah told jaguars.com that Ray's true size is something NFL clubs could have questions about.
"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," Jeremiah said. "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."
According to his Missouri bio, Ray actually stands 6-3. But college listings tend to be a bit favorable, as NFL scouts learned at the Senior Bowl regarding Stanford wide receiver Ty Montgomery.
Ray earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors with 14.5 sacks as the leader of the SEC's best pass rush. His first-step quickness and ability to disrupt an offensive backfield are rare, and make him one of the elite prospects in the draft at a priority position. For now, anyway, he's regarded as the No. 8 overall prospect available in the draft by NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
His athleticism figures to serve him well in the various physical drills combine participants compete in. But the most important test of all for Ray might be the one that only requires him to stand up straight.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
