2015 NFL Draft: Shane Ray is drafted by the Denver Broncos

Pick # 23 - Denver Broncos Select Shane Ray

Congratulations to #MizzouMade DE Shane Ray (@X_RAYted56), #Mizzou's latest #NFLDraft First-Rounder. No. 23, Denver. pic.twitter.com/sJrUKKnBbc

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) May 1, 2015

Shane Ray, who is pretty much the only interesting interview of the night:  "Each team that passed on me is circled." #circled

— Evan Woodbery (@TheSaintsBeat) May 1, 2015

Shane Ray

On being a steal in the draft

"Definitely, I find myself as a steal. All the teams that passed on me that were in the top 10, I feel like they made a huge mistake. And as a Denver Bronco, I plan to show them about the mistake they made. Like I said, I’m so grateful to the Denver Broncos for giving me the opportunity, and I can’t wait to learn from guys like [OLB] Von Miller and [OLB] DeMarcus Ware and just be a force."

General Manager John Elway

"We had several people talk to him. He was very remorseful. Realized he made a mistake. The price was right. Where Shane fell on our board, we just felt like it was something we couldn't pass up. We have the utmost confidence in Shane, that him realizing the mistake he made, he guaranteed it wouldn't happen again. Having the chance to get to know him the time I did spend with him, I felt very comfortable with him. I feel good about him. He realized he made a mistake but also the type of football player we got. We got a guy who plays with his hair on fire, can rush the passer, loves the game of football, is competitive and is going to be a great fit for us."

Coach Gary Kubiak

"We've got like five months of work invested in this young man. He made a mistake, but he's also done a lot of great things, too. I don't think you just throw something out the window from one mistake. We did our homework. We had felt very good about him from the very beginning, and had to go back and do a little bit more here the past few days. We feel good about putting him in our meeting room, putting him with our football team. We know we can support him the way he needs to be supported, or any rookie we bring in. When we do that and he goes out there and does the thing he loves to do -- which is play ball -- I know he'll give us the chance to be successful. It's just very exciting for him. I know he was very excited when I talked to him on the phone. Very humble young man, and looking forward to getting here and getting ready to work."

"I wouldn't even like to practice against him from an offensive standpoint, I can tell you that."

Quotes via David Morrison's story on the Columbia Daily Tribune

Former Mizzou TE Byron Chamberlain who played for the Denver Broncos, approves:

Kuligowski said he started to hear Ray's name in conjunction with the first round around the fourth game this season.

— David Morrison (@DavidCMorrison) January 7, 2015

Hill: "It's a great example of a guy from the state of Missouri staying in Missouri and developing."

— David Morrison (@DavidCMorrison) January 7, 2015

Congratulations to #MizzouMade DE @X_RAYted56! We wish you luck at the next level #DLineZOU pic.twitter.com/nSaIe60QNb

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) January 7, 2015

SUMMARY

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Highlight Videos

Let's all fondly remember this:

And this when he broke Mizzou's single season sack record:

From when Shane Ray declared for the Draft:

In 2014, forced to become a leader after the departures of Kony Ealy and Michael Sam, Ray helped Mizzou to not only match their production but exceed it. He became a consensus All-American, recording 22.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, five hurries, and three forced fumbles. Combined with senior Markus Golden on the other end, he was the leader of one of the most disruptive defensive lines in college football.

Originally listed as a high three-star recruit in the 2011 recruiting class, Ray became one of the best Missouri Tigers of a generation.

Good Luck Shane!