Missouri’s Shane Ray can breathe a sigh of relief.

A lingering foot injury and a citation for marijuana possession earlier this week couldn’t keep Ray out of the first round.

The Denver Broncos traded up in the draft to select Ray with the 23rd overall pick Thursday night, adding to the Tigers’ recent legacy of producing NFL defensive linemen.

Ray, at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, made 14.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss in ’14, winning the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year award in his first year as a starter at Mizzou.

He became the third Tigers defensive end selected in the last two drafts, with teammate Markus Golden still on the board, and the 11th defensive lineman drafted under position coach Craig Kuligowski, joining players like Sheldon Richardson, Aldon Smith and Ziggy Hood.

Ray’s lack of length, along with the foot injury that prevented him from running at the NFL Combine and the citation for marijuana, were his biggest negatives. Many mock drafts projected him as a Top 10 pick in the weeks leading up to the draft, but those same people shoved him to the bottom of the first round, correctly as it turns out, following news of the citation.

An explosive pass rusher with a great first step, Ray possesses speed well beyond the 4.64-second 40-yard dash he reportedly ran at Mizzou’s pro day. Though beating offensive tackles around the outside may be his best attribute, Ray is more than a pure speed rusher whom the Tigers used in a variety of stunts and inside rushes in ’14. He held his own against the run in the SEC, especially when he was able to chase ball-carries from the backside of a play.

Earlier Thursday, Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr. (No. 3 overall) and Kentucky’s Bud Dupree (No. 21 overall) came off the board, as the SEC’s group of hybrid outside linebackers and defensive ends was the conference’s strongest position in this year’s draft.

The Broncos must’ve coveted Ray despite the negative headlines. Denver gave up a nice bounty to trade up five spots from No. 28 to prevent the Baltimore Ravens from getting a chance to remove the former Missouri standout from the pool of available players.

Denver and team executive John Elway sent a fifth-round pick this year, a fifth-round pick next year and offensive lineman Manny Ramirez to Detroit in addition to swapping first-round selections.

Ray, the sixth SEC player drafted in 2015, also became the fourth edge rusher selected Thursday, chosen behind Fowler, Clemson’s Vic Beasley and Dupree.