Missouri pass rusher Shane Ray didn’t have the best timing when he was cited for marijuana possession earlier this week, but it continues to look like the run-in with the law won’t knock him out of the first round.
On Wednesday, Ray said that he’s been hearing more interest from teams picking late in the first round since his citation on Monday morning. Ray also suffered a foot injury during Missouri’s bowl game that led to reports that he might need surgery at some point to correct the issue. That didn’t do much to dim his draft prospects, which may be part of a trend for Ray.
On Thursday, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN followed up on that to report that Ray is expected to be selected before the first night of the draft comes to a close.
Schefter added that the Falcons could take Ray with the eighth overall pick, which comes after Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said Ray “absolutely” remains on their draft board. That doesn’t mean they’ll be selecting him with that pick or at any other point in the first round, of course, but it does suggest that Ray’s talent will be enough for someone to roll the dice on him early in this weekend’s proceedings.