Broncos draft pick Shane Ray: 'I guaranteed Mr. Elway that I will not have any issues'

Once projected as a top-10 pick, former Missouri defensive end and 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year Shane Ray slid down the draft board and into the hands of the Denver Broncos at No. 23. 

Following his recent citation for marijuana possession, there was speculation Ray could fall out of the first round entirely. The Broncos saw enough in Ray to convince themselves that he was worth trading up for, though, and he plans to reward them for their faith. 

"I guaranteed Mr. Elway that I will not have any issues," Ray told reporters of his conversation with Broncos executive vice president John Elway. "As I said before, I'm not a person who has character issues at all."

Ray admitted that the timing of his citation was problematic, but said it helped him grow as a person. He also made a mental note of every team that passed on him because of it.

"This does nothing but add fuel to my fire," he said. "I hope those teams understand that this is the kind of person I am. I will use this as motivation. And I hope that I see every one of those teams ... Oh yeah, (those teams that passed on me) they're all circled, best believe. Mentally, each team that passed me is circled."