Did Broncos Make Mistake Trading up for Shane Ray?

Pick number 23- ER Shane Ray (6’3 245), Missouri

2014 stats: 65 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 22.5 TFLs, 3 FFs

Games evaluated: UCF, @ South Carolina, @ Florida, Kentucky, Florida (2013)

Where he wins:

-Has powerful steps and can gain ground in a hurry; explosive.

-Quick-twitch athlete that is able to beat blockers with his hands off the snap.

-Relentless in pursuit. Always chasing down ball carriers far away from his initial starting point. Makes tackles 10-20 yards away from the line of scrimmage.

-Has good balance to keep him upright, especially when passing up blockers on the inside.

-Enjoys the physicality of the game and will work through trash on his way to the ball carrier.

-Fast enough to make plays on the backside of runs.

-Not a big player against the run but doesn’t get driven out of the play often. Works hard to stand his ground.

-While not great at consistently shedding, he does pay attention to what’s going on in the backfield and rarely loses the ball.

-Has a pretty strong slap to get blockers off balance so he can rip through or swim over.

Where he struggles:

-Stiff hipped, preventing him from consistently being able to turn the corner.

-Lack of hip flexibility hinders his ability to quickly and efficiently change direction.

-Struggles to disengage when initially stalled at the line.

-While he has quick hands, he’ll sometimes becomes steadfast on hand fighting instead of shedding his man.

-Needs to add more moves to his repertoire. Relies heavily on a slap and rip and arm overs.

-Has decent strength but not the pure power to straight up bull rush.

-Likes to play high on a lot of his rushes, compromising his leverage.

-Rarely dropped into coverage in five viewings.

THREE WORDS: Quick, relentless, stiff

PROJECTION: Late 2nd round