NFL Draft 2015
Five most important pro days
Shane Ray among prospects in need of strong workout showings
Originally Published: March 2, 2015
By Kevin Weidl | ESPN Insider

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Shane Ray
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Missouri's Shane Ray will have much to prove at his pro day.

We are past the all-star game circuit and NFL combine, and prospects are entering the final portion of the postseason draft process with pro days and private workout sessions. Pro days generally are a minor piece of the puzzle in the evaluation process, and they are often scripted to showcase prospects' skill sets. However, there are a few exceptions to that rule.

Below is a look at five pro days over the next month and a half that could have a significant impact on a prospect's draft position.

1. Missouri DE/OLB Shane Ray | Date: March 19

Ray was unable to work out at the combine because of a toe injury he suffered in Missouri's bowl game on New Year's Day. On tape he shows adequate first-step quickness, quick hands and a relentless motor, but at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, Ray is a bit of a tweener who lacks ideal size as a prototypical 4-3 defensive end and doesn't show elite speed-to-power capabilities. In addition, he does not have a lot of experience playing in space, making it more difficult to project him as a 3-4 OLB.

Ray will need to show well in two big areas. First and foremost, the test numbers that correlate with overall explosiveness -- bench press, 40-yard dash, 10-yard split and vertical and broad jumps -- will be very important. Second, scouts will be keeping an eye on his overall athleticism and agility with his three-cone and short-shuttle times, and also the linebacker drills that will test his fluidity with drops and overall ball skills.

Teams should have a heavy attendance in Columbia and Ray will need to turn in a strong performance to ease concerns about his position fit and help solidify a top-20 selection.

2. UCF WR Breshad Perriman | Date: March 25

The junior receiver has generated a lot of recent buzz because of his size (6-2, 212), strength and ability to manufacture big plays. However, he is a bit of a straight-line route runner and has displayed inconsistent ball skills -- including multiple extension drops in the Temple, Missouri and Penn State games.

Evaluators will get their first look at Perriman during the postseason process at his pro day, as he didn't work out in Indianapolis because of an injury. One of Perriman's strengths is as a vertical threat, so how he performs in the 40-yard dash and vertical and broad jumps will be very important. In addition, scouts will look for Perriman's ability to run the entire route tree, and he also will need to catch the ball well to help ease concerns about his drops.

If Perriman is able to test well and turn in a strong showing during drills, it will go a long way toward his securing a second-round grade and potentially give him an outside shot at sneaking into the late first round -- even though I don't personally think he's a first-round prospect based on his tape.

3. Indiana RB Tevin Coleman | Date: April 15 (Holding his own pro day separate from school)

[+] EnlargeTevin Coleman
Pat Lovell/USA TODAY Sports
Scouts will be watching Tevin Coleman's explosiveness.

Coleman suffered a foot injury last season and is coming off of surgery in December that held him out of the workout portion of the combine. Coleman is an undersized back (5-10, 206) who lacks ideal power in between the tackles but has above-average vision and flashes good acceleration out of cuts. He also has an extra gear to finish when reaching the open field.

Scouts will be keeping a close eye on Coleman's 40 time, particularly his 10-yard split, along with his jumps to measure if the numbers match the explosiveness he shows on his tape. In addition, Coleman will need to show well during drills work with his routes and catching the football, which is an area he will be relied upon to be a contributor at the next level.

Coleman is jockeying for position in a deep running back class and can help secure a spot on Day 2 if he's able to perform well in front of evaluators in April.

4. Colorado State QB Garrett Grayson | Date: March 11

Grayson is coming off of a solid Senior Bowl showing, but he was unable to keep the momentum going at the combine while missing the workout portion with a hamstring injury. On tape, Grayson has quality mechanics and flashes adequate touch and anticipation as a passer. However, at 6-2 and 213 pounds he lacks prototypical measureables and doesn't have an elite physical skill set. This gets magnified when he's forced to make longer throws outside the hashes or vertically down the field; his passes have a tendency to hang in the air.

Teams will be monitoring his test numbers to show his athleticism. However, they will be most interested in seeing his ability to make all the necessary throws, particularly the velocity he is able to generate with power throws. Grayson is battling with UCLA's Brett Hundley and Baylor's Bryce Petty to be the third quarterback off the board, and a strong showing at his pro day will go a long way toward helping his cause.

5. TCU OLB Paul Dawson | Date: March 27

To say Dawson bombed the workout portion of the combine would be an understatement. He turned in a 4.93 40-yard dash time while being well below average with his jumps (28-inch vertical jump, 9-foot-1 broad jump) and turning in a poor short-shuttle time of 4.49 (he did not participate in the three-cone drill).

Dawson has some very good tape (particularly the Minnesota and Oklahoma games) and has some games in which he's inconsistent (Texas Tech and Oklahoma State). But the bottom line is that his combine results are concerning for an undersized linebacker who lacks ideal point-of-attack skills and whose best attribute is his ability to play in space. Throw in some minor character concerns, and Dawson will need to do some damage control by improving these numbers with a strong showing to help ease concerns for teams considering him in the Day 2 range.

Dawson won't be the only player scouts will be watching in Fort Worth, as Horned Frogs safety Chris Hackett will look to rebound from an underwhelming combine performance of his own, including an alarming 4.81 40-yard dash time.