INDIANAPOLIS — Is he tall enough? Are his arms long enough to rush NFL passers? How does he compare to Seattle’s Bruce Irvin? Or Baltimore’s Pernell McPhee? What about his speed?  Missouri defensive lineman Shane Ray, who’s projected to be a top-10 pick in April’s NFL draft, chalks up all the dissection of skills and attributes that’s part of the process to “noise.” And he uses it as motivation to carve out a place in the league and repay his mother for all those years of sacrifice and struggle, rearing him as a single parent.  “Sometimes, you might have to look at the media, and comparisons, and push yourself just a little bit harder just to prove everybody wrong,” Ray said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “That’s kind of what I’ve been trying to do my whole life, is prove to everybody the kind of elite football player I am, and what I can be.”  The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Ray made his point in the SEC, earning defensive player of the year honors for his conference-leading 14.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for a loss as a redshirt junior last season. It was his first season as a starter, having backed up Michael Sam as a sophomore.  A foot injury will keep him from running the 40-yard dash and the other on-field drills when defensive linemen take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday. Instead, he’ll showcase what he can do at Missouri’s pro day  What intrigues NFL scouts based on game film is Ray’s athleticism — his explosive first step, quickness and strength moving larger offensive linemen. Deemed a more impactful pass rusher than run stuffer, Ray could work both as a defensive end or as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, which makes him a prime candidate for Washington’s defense.  He stressed that versatility in meetings with NFL teams and the media.  “I’ve shown that I can make plays in the open field, that I can drop into coverage,” Ray pointed out during his weekend press conference. “Throughout my career, my coaches moved me all around the defense. I’ve played over three techniques and beat guards, I’ve stood up and rushed from the middle, I’ve dropped into coverage and came back and covered guys coming out of the backfield. And I’ve just displayed my speed consistently, and what I can do as a 4-3 defensive end and outside linebacker.”  Footage of Ray’s explosiveness is easily found. He was ejected from the SEC Championship for a hit to the neck of Alabama quarterback Blake Sims. The two are now good friends and pre-draft training partners in Florida. Ray said that the hit, and the punishment that followed, taught him a valuable lesson about rushing quarterbacks.  “Especially going to the NFL, I’ve got to aim a lot lower, and wrap up their legs instead of trying to get a hit on ‘em, and just try and bring ‘em to the ground,” Ray said. “That would probably be the safest thing to do.”  Washington made a priority of upgrading its pass rush heading into the 2014 season, but those efforts barely moved the needle. Free agent Jason Hatcher, who’d had 11 in sacks for Dallas in 2013, managed just 5.5 in an injury-shortened season. And franchise-tagged linebacker Brian Orakpo suffered another season-ending pectoral tear, bowing out in Week 8 with 0.5 sacks.  The upcoming NFL draft, well stocked with defensive linemen, gives Washington another chance to get it right. Three pass rushers could go in the top 10: In addition to Ray, Nebraska’s Randy Gregory, considered No. 1 at the position, and Florida’s Dante Fowler.  ● Related: Fowler banking on versatility | Gregory aims to prove weight is no issue  “My main message is for all these coaches and GMs is, I’m your guy,” said Ray, whose father, Wendell Ray, was a fifth-round pick in the 1981 NFL draft, taken by Minnesota.  “If you need somebody to go attack from anywhere on the field, and be unstoppable, if I get a one on one, I’m gonna win it. You want a guy you want to make the play on third down, go get the quarterback, strip the quarterback, I’ll go do that. That’s what I did for my team, when they needed somebody to make a play, or go chase down a guy with the football. I was the guy to go do that.”  Mike Jones and Liz Clarke are in Indianapolis covering the NFL Combine. For more combine posts, click here.  The weird and wonderful NFL combine  U-Va.’s Harold is fueled by personal loss  Jenkins: Snyder’s fingerprints on decision to name Griffin starter  Maske: Winston intends to prove to teams that they can trust him  More NFL: Home page | Sports Bog | Early Lead | Fancy Stats | Fantasy  Follow: @MikeJonesWaPo | @lizclarketweet | @JReidPost | @Insider  Liz Clarke currently covers the Washington Redskins for The Washington Post, she has also covered five Olympic Games, two World Cups and written extensively about college sports, tennis and auto racing.
SEC Defensive Player of Year Shane Ray sidelined by foot injury for Sunday’s NFL Combine, but has plenty to say about what motivates him.