Shane Ray’s draft stock expected to drop after marijuana citing
Missouri linebacker Shane Ray is one of the top players in the 2015 NFL Draft, but his recent marijuana possession and arrest may have hurt his stock.
Coming from a bad area as a kid, Shane Ray turned to football, with the help of his mother, and hasn’t looked back since. According to Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN, Ray escaped the “wrong crowd” as a youngster and made football his saving grace as a pudgy eighth-grader in what is known as the murder factory in Kansas City.
Ray has come from the worst situation to turn himself into one of the best NFL prospects in the nation. His background in the streets of Kansas City, however, could not escape him on Monday morning as he was pulled over for speeding and arrested for possession of marijuana.
His past caught up to him, but he’s ready to prove that was a mistake and won’t happen again by quickly issuing an apology just two days before the 2015 NFL Draft.
#Mizzou pass-rusher Shane Ray speaks on his legal situation. He begins with an apology pic.twitter.com/dZ2KFXUsdx
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 28, 2015
It takes a man to admit he was wrong and own up to his mistakes. During this apology, it was stated that Ray was not detained for possession of marijuana, just cited as he was not driving while impaired.
However, despite the quick apology, Ray will see his draft stock suffer a bit as he was thought to be a possible top-10 pick.
Earlier in his career with the Missouri Tigers, Ray failed a drug test and that had been known by NFL team personnel going into the process. While it gave the young linebacker a black eye, he earned the trust of owners and GMs throughout pre-draft activities and they eventually began to overlook that dark part of his past.
Now they will have to overlook another drug issue, something that won’t be so easy just days before the draft. While Ray may believe he is the best linebacker/defensive end in the upcoming selection process, he has some character flaws that will bog him down a bit.
He is quick for his 245-pound frame and is more athletic than he looks, but his stock is sure to drop him near the late-teens, early-20s area in the first round after this incident. Shane finished the 2015 season with 65 total tackles and 14.5 sacks as a rushing linebacker.
While character concerns are an issue, many NFL players have the same issues as Ray.
As 1 GM said again today, couldn't field a team if you eliminated all pot users. At same time, Shane Ray is a big dummy.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) April 27, 2015
Not a good look just over 72 hours from draft time.