Should Randy Gregory Go Pro After 2014 Season?
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2014 NFL Draft out of the way, some people are already looking ahead to next year. At the top of those 2015 mock drafts, Randy Gregory from the Nebraska Huskers football team is a name being dropped frequently.
Gregory will be going into his junior year at Nebraska, but that hasn’t stopped draft analysts from speculating that he will be entering the draft early. Gregory’s sophomore year at Nebraska consisted of 65 tackles, nine and a half sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. Not bad for a sophomore.
A mock draft by Brent Sobleski of USA Today has Gregory going with the first overall pick. Sobleski pegged the Jacksonville Jaguars as being the team to hold the first pick next year. If the Jaguars were the worst team in the NFL next year for some reason and had the first overall pick, it would be a safe bet that they’d grab a guy on defense, as they spent the majority of their 2014 draft picks on offensive players.
"“Nebraska’s Randy Gregory led the Big Ten Conference in sacks as a sophomore with 10.5. Gregory isn’t on the same level as Jadeveon Clowney, but he’s a 6-6, 245-pound defensive end with tremendous first-step quickness and length.” – Sobleski"
Sobleski isn’t the only one thinking that Gregory has first overall pick talent. Matthew Fairburn of SB Nation predicts Gregory will be the first to hear his name called next May as well.
Dane Brugler of CBS Sports sees Randy Gregory going with the third overall pick and had this to say,
"“One of my favorites, Gregory is still learning and needs to get stronger, but he shows flashes of Jason Pierre Paul when he was a young rusher at South Florida.”"
What does all of this praise mean? Honestly…absolutely nothing. It’s far too soon to be able to predict next year’s draft, but it’s nice to know that analysts have high hopes for Gregory for the 2014 Husker football season.
If Randy Gregory can dominate on the field this year, there’s a strong possibility that he will not only enter the draft, but that he will be a first round pick.
On the flip side though, if Gregory does not play well this year his draft stock will drop fast. Similar to a few years ago when USC quarterback Matt Barkley was at one time projected to go first overall and didn’t end up getting drafted until the fourth round. Not saying this will happen, but of course it’s a possibility.
Gregory is most definitely a first round talent. I say if he’s projected to go in the first two rounds, then he should forego his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft. If he has a down year, then Gregory should come back to Nebraska for his senior year and then make a shot at the pros.
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