Denver Broncos rookie pass rusher Shane Ray has never seemed to lack confidence in his abilities on the football field, and that has continued this offseason even after dropping in the draft a bit to the Broncos, who traded up to the 23rd overall pick to get him.
Speaking to Around The NFL from the rookie symposium, Ray talked about his lofty goals for the 2015 season.
“I don’t see anything less than Defensive Rookie of the Year. I mean that’s my goal,” Ray said. “A lot of people might say that sounds cocky for you to say it right now, but I’ve always set high goals for myself, just like I did in college and that is something that I’m looking to prove, that I’m the best defensive rookie here.”
It’s been a dream come true for Ray to have worked this offseason with guys like Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. Miller has developed into an elite defensive player after earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2011, and Ware has been an All-Pro and NFL Defensive MVP in his career (despite not earning DROY honors in 2005, Shawne Merriman).
For Ray to be able to soak in all he can from those guys has been a huge bonus for him and the Broncos as a whole, who hope that when Ware decides to call it a career, Ray can step in and be ‘the guy’ opposite Von Miller, who is in a contract year this year.
“I work with DeMarcus and Von every day,” he said. “Some days I might work with Von on pass coverages, on reading receivers, how I’m supposed to play this receiver in this coverage. With DeMarcus, he might show me some hand stuff or pass rush stuff, like ‘maybe you should try this.’ With both of those guys, I kinda have the opportunity to look through their eyes on how they see things on the field and I just utilize that and add to my game.”
Whatever Ray is able to learn from Miller and Ware before the season is going to be critical, because it’s been a lot more mental reps for him at this point than actual on-field reps. Ray has been nursing a couple of injuries and the Broncos want him to be at 100 percent for training camp.
If he is, it’s going to be a heck of a learning curve for the new offensive line with Wade Phillips experimenting different formations with Miller, Ware, and Ray together on the field at the same time.