Shane Ray was the best defensive player in the best college football conference in the country in 2014. He was a surefire first round pick and the only question seemed to be, how high would he be drafted. He was reportedly set to go to Jacksonville with the 3rd pick in last year’s draft, or Atlanta at five. Then, he was cited for marijuana possession days before the draft and tumbled into the 20s where The Broncos would trade up to take him at 23.
The adversity he dealt with related to his draft status was nothing compared to where he came from. Ray grew up in “The 50s” in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s one of the most violent neighborhoods in America and, unfortunately, has the statistics to support that claim. Let’s be honest, a neighborhood isn’t refereed to as the “Murder Factory” if it’s not a rough place. Ray shares numerous stories about some of the violence he saw, and did his best to avoid as well.
He is forthcoming in every aspect of his life, and opens up in great detail about the marijuana citation on the Monday before the 2015 NFL Draft. He also admits that he doesn’t love sitting behind DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller, but understands that he has to.
This is the longest “Peel The Onion” Podcast and it’s 100 percent because Ray is such a great storyteller.
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