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Jaguars Draft: Is Randy Gregory no longer an option?

By Justin Moore

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The 2015 NFL draft is quickly approaching with little over a month left,  the anticipation for who the Jaguars will pick is quickly rising and there are still multiple players who have been linked to the Jags.

A popular pick in several 2015 NFL mock drafts is Nebraska’s rush linebacker Randy Gregory, but after Gregory’s recent marijuana-related incident, mock drafts could quickly change.

Randy Gregory recently admitted  that he tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. After this incident the popular question is, will Gregory’s draft stock fall and if so, how far?

Gregory recently had this to say about his failed drug test in an interview with NFL.com

"“I don’t wake up every day saying, I’d really love to go smoke,” Gregory said. “It’s not a struggle for me every day (now), it really isn’t. In the past, hell yeah, it’s been a struggle. It really has been. Now, I’m focused on my dream.”"

Nebraska’s star pass rusher is coming off a very impressive season in which he had 7 sacks, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and 1 interception. He also posted impressive numbers at the combine as he had the best broad jump in the entire combine and he also had a time of 4.64 seconds in the popular 40 yard dash which is pretty fast for a player his size.

There is no question that Gregory has the talent worthy of a top ten pick but will teams feel confident enough to depend on him in the future? This could be a red flag to some as it can be quite risky to spend your first pick on a player who may have off the field issues.

To provide evidence of  how important failed drug tests are at the combine look no further than NFL Networks Albert Breer’s twitter for proof. He highlighted how Titans Quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s draft stock quickly fell after he submitted diluted urine samples at the combine, Mettenberger didn’t even fail the drug test.

The Jaguars actually faced a similar issue with OLB Telvin Smith, as he failed his drug test at the NFL combine last year which led to his draft stock falling. However this worked in the favor of the Jags as it allowed them to draft a 1st or 2nd round talent in the 5th round and some consider Smith to be the steal of last years draft, could the same thing happen with Gregory?

To answer the question headlined in this article, I do personally think this means Gregory is no longer an option at pick 3 but that doesn’t mean the Jaguars don’t have their eye on him. There have been rumors that the Jags are a team that could be interested in trading back  for more picks and Gregory could be a great option if he falls out of the top ten. If the Jags were able to trade out of their 3rd pick in exchange for two mid first round picks, then snagging a top wideout like Amari Cooper or Kevin White, as well as drafting Gregory could be the splash that Jags fans are waiting for. With the draft a little over a month away, Jags fans will soon find out what the mysterious Dave Caldwell has planned for the Jaguars future.

Next: In Caldwell and Bradley We Trust?

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