Randy Gregory to Dallas Cowboys: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

Its a beautiful day in Dallas as the first two rounds of the NFL draft could not have gone any better for the Cowboys. They got the player they coveted in Byron Jones with their first-round pick, and they got possibly the best value of the draft as they selected Randy Gregory in the second round. 

Most draft analysts (including the author of this fine article) thought Gregory was a top-10 talent, and the Cowboys got him with pick No. 60. 

Now, there is some risk with this pick as Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he reportedly was late and missed a meeting with the Saints in the predraft process, per The Advocate's Nick Underhill (via Fox Sports' Peter Schrager).

However, the Cowboys have an infrastructure in place for players with these types of issues, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported:

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Randy Gregory's representatives made it clear that, whichever team drafts him, needs to have a support system in place that would be expected to include a security person and a personal handler who would follow Gregory at all times. To Gregory and his representatives, it didn't matter where in the draft he went, but where in the NFL he went. He was adamant that it would be with a team that would support him. Dallas has been through similar experiences in the past, providing helpers to wide receiver Dez Bryant after he was drafted. And there are expected to be Gregory Rules and followers in Dallas as well.

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Despite these issues, Gregory is an absolute menace on the football field. Gregory lined up all over the field at Nebraska, but he primarily lined up as a defensive end for the Cornhuskers. 

In two years at Nebraska, Gregory racked up 119 tackles, 25.5 for loss, and 17.5 sacks. Furthermore, Gregory is one of the most athletic defensive ends in this draft class. To illustrate this point, take a look at this spider graph comparing Gregory's measurables with all of the defensive ends selected since 1999:

Mockdraftable.com

Gregory's athleticism shows up extremely well on tape, as you can see him accelerate off the ball, get to an offensive tackle's edge, drop his weight, bend around the corner and explode to the quarterback. 

This play is a great example of Gregory doing just that:

DraftBreakdown.com

On this play, you see Gregory lined up as the left defensive end, and he comes off the ball with a fantastic upfield burst. This causes the right tackle to get really wide with his pass set. Gregory makes an extremely savvy move to take an inside step, which causes the tackle to transfer his weight inside and leave his edge vulnerable. This allows Gregory to hit his favorite move, the outside swim move, to get past the tackle's outside shoulder.

The tackle tries to recover, but Gregory does a great job of linking his hips and torquing his body to sharpen his angle to the quarterback, where he gets his hand on the ball and forces a fumble.

Moreover, Gregory does a great job of converting his speed to power, which is vital to be successful in the NFL. If the defensive end just uses speed every time, the offensive tackle will run him past the quarterback. However, if a defensive end can play with power to complement the speed, the offensive tackle has to be pure with his pass set, which gives the defensive end numerous techniques he can use to get past the tackle. 

As a run defender, Gregory does a great job of playing with gap discipline and positioning his body to effectively set the edge. He understands how to position his hands and effectively use his length to keep blockers at bay as he finds the football. 

Overall, Gregory looks to be one of the best value picks in the draft thus far. He likely fits in as a situational pass-rusher early who develops into a dynamic, every-down defensive end as he puts on weight.