Cavanaugh's NFL Draft Prospect Breakdown: Shane Ray
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
I'm going to do a player breakdown of a lot of the players that people have graded in the first few rounds, and they'll come out every couple of days or so as I get a good enough feel for the guys I'm watching to put together what I consider a quality evaluation.
I'm starting with the defensive ends because I see it as a big area of need for the Cowboys, and that's the only team I'm really concerned about. One note, when you see height listed here, the NFL does their measurements to the eighth of an inch, so if a player is listed as 6026, he's 6 feet, 2 inches and 6/8 of an inch. 6001 would be 6 feet and 1/8 of an inch etc.
We are watching these guys in the order that they're listed on CBS Sports prospect rankings.
And of course I'm going out of order with the very first player I do, because Randy Gregory from Nebraska is listed as the top DE, and I think A) He's really a 3-4 OLB and B) I've studied three games of his but want to watch more because so many people like him, and I want to watch more games to try and get to what everyone else is seeing before I write bad words about him on the internet. With that aside, prospect number one to be broken down via words on the internet is:
Shane Ray - Defensive End - Missouri
Height: 6026
Weight: 245
40 Time: 4.54
Games studied: Alabama, Texas A&M, Minnesota, Florida
Positives: First step to get off the ball is outstanding. Can beat OT's around the corner regularly, and because of that also is able to come off outside, put a foot in the ground and come with an inside move. Uses his hands well when pass rushing to keep blockers hands off of him. Runs really well, will get down the line of scrimmage if the ball is run away from him.
Motor doesn't stop. Plays his assignment on zone read then busts his tail to get down the line when it goes away from him.
Plays with good balance. When guys try and cut block him he uses his hands to play them off, keeps his feet and finds the ball. Wins with speed and quickness. Speed off the edge is special. If he's pass rushing and the ball comes to his side, has ability to change direction and retrace his steps to stay alive and pursue the play.
Negatives: Like a lot of guys in college, he's a 245 pound defensive end. When teams run the ball directly at him, he can get blocked by left tackles. Some by fullbacks and tight ends as well. Has more strength and fight in him than most of the other guys his size I've seen so far, but still light and blockable on runs right at him. Faded some in the 2nd half of Minnesota game and stopped consistently dominating. Think he will stay at DE but would like him to add some weight and strength without losing what he's great at which is short area burst and ability to get around the corner.
Overall: I'm a big fan. Most folks rankings say that he won't be a factor for the Cowboys if they're picking at #27, but he's going to make a quality pass rusher for somebody pretty quickly.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)