2015 NFL Draft: Randy Gregory’s draft stock plummeting south

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Mar 26, 2015

When it comes to being a top prospect, an athlete will go into great lengths to prove their worth. With the 2015 NFL Draft on the horizon, athletes now must exercise patience in seeing how their draft stock develops. For most it’s a fun process trying to see how high they are drafted and to which potential teams while for others the anxiety can be too much to handle. When it comes to linebacker Randy Gregory and a dire mistake he made off the field, he is no doubt part of the latter part of the waiting process.

In a report by NFL Media reporter Kimberly Jones, Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the 2015 NFL Combine. Gregory actually received a letter a few weeks ago saying he failed the mandatory drug test which is yet another off the field issue to hit his resume.

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Even before his performance at the combine, many knew he would potentially be a risk if a team decided to draft him. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten in trouble for smoking marijuana as he had similar issues both in high school and in college.

Claiming to use it to deal with anxiety, Gregory’s draft stock is quickly plummeting south. With yet another incident involving the use of drugs, teams will now be even more weary to draft him since it’s a potential turn-off despite his amazing abilities on the field.

He was even almost kicked out of Nebraska due to having failed two drug tests with a third offense landing him removed from the team. One would have thought he would have learned his lesson with so many incidents involving the same issue but it’s coming off as being something he can’t handle.

I’m all for if he simply came clean that he did drugs in the past and needed help. I’m quite confident that the NFL would have taken the right measures to have him be put on a path to get better through rehab but the fact of the matter is, whether he knew it or not, this could be something that keeps him out of the first round in the draft.

Nov 15, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive end Randy Gregory (4) during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 59-24. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

While I don’t think he really has any kind of drug habit, I think he simply made a dumb mistake. Gregory did confirm that he spoke about and was asked at interviews with various NFL coaches about his past drug use. He even brought it up even if he wasn’t directly asked about it.

It would be in the best interest of Gregory to redeem his draft stock by having a press conference and just apologizing for the entire incident. It’s embarrassing but not anything that can’t be forgiven if he comes clean to the public that he messed up and it won’t ever happen again.

Overall, the NFL is a place where dreams are made and legacies are born, Gregory’s failed drug test will absolutely cause his draft stock to head south unless he publicly apologizes and so everyone can move forward from it. Until then, teams will definitely think twice before drafting him when they’re on the clock.

Next: 2015 NFL Draft: Predicting trades for a Top 5 pick

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