Alabama DL LaBryan Ray signing with Patriots after going undrafted
On Saturday, LaBryan Ray became the second recently-departed Alabama defensive lineman to find a new NFL home this offseason. After going undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, news broke that the former five-star prospect from Madison (Ala.) would be signing with the New England Patriots.
That news was announced via Ray’s agent, SportsTrust Advisors, soon after the draft concluded.
This is yet another former player of Nick Saban’s who will be heading to New England to join Bill Belichick’s roster. We’ve seen other past defenders, including Dont’a Hightower and Christian Barmore, find success with the Patriots. Ray, despite not being a Day 1 or 2 picks like those guys, has the talent to stick around.
The most important thing he can do for himself is to maintain his health. Unfortunately, he struggled to do that in Tuscaloosa. In fact, Ray was only able to stay healthy for an entire season once during his five years at Alabama. Otherwise, he had to at least miss some time.
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For his career, Ray had 76 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble. His best year came in that lone healthy season when he had 39 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 13 games as a rotational player.
Here’s what NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about Ray:
Former five-star prospect who failed to distinguish himself due, in part, to injuries and ineffectiveness. Ray’s size, strength and two-gapping technique should give him a shot as a 3-4 defensive end. He’s more of a block occupier than disruptor and needed the ball run right at him to make a play. While his run defense could get him a look, the lack of a translatable pass rush and his long history of lower-body injuries could dampen his chances of making a squad.
Coming out of James Clemens High School in 2017, Ray was rated as the nation’s No. 19 overall prospect, No. 4 edge rusher and No. 1 player from the state of Alabama, according to the On3 Consensus rankings.
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