Defensive end Randy Gregory, a former star defensive player at Nebraska received a letter from the NFL a few weeks ago. Elated by the thought that it might have been an invitation to the NFL draft, Gregory told NFL media reporter Kimberly Jones that he then asked his father to open the envelope, only to be greeted with the news that he had failed a drug test at the NFL scouting combine.
Randy Gregory is an intriguing draft prospect. An imposing 6-foot-5, 240 lbs outside linebacker/rush end, he played only two seasons at Nebraska (2013-14) as he missed all of 2012 with a broken leg. His best season with the Cornhuskers was in 2013, when he recorded 65 total tackles (39 solo and 16 tackles for loss). He also had 15 quarterback hurries and 10.5 sacks that year, earning the defensive MVP title for Bo Pelini's squad.
In 2014, Gregory played in only 11 games (out of 13) and still had 54 total tackles (23 solo), 10 quarterback hurries and led the Cornhuskers with seven sacks.
These accolades and an eye-opening performance at the NFL combine earned Gregory a near-unanimous top-10 projection in the upcoming April 30 NFL Draft.
However, with the news of his positive test coming out, Gregory could see his draft stock plummet a bit, especially in this recent climate of PR nightmares for NFL teams, with an increasingly image-conscious league.
This is where the Saints could either benefit from a Gregory fall in the draft and snatch him, or decide that he would be too much of a liability in the "new and improved" Saints locker room head coach Sean Payton is building this offseason.
It is interesting for instance to see that on Tuesday, Charles Davis of NFL Network had Gregory going fifth to the Washington Redskins. However, since the news broke that Gregory failed a marijuana test, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has Gregory falling out of the top 10 and being picked by the Saints at 13.
For what it's worth, Gregory has owned up to his mistake, telling Kimberly Jones that he "blamed himself" for failing the test and assuring her that he has since taken steps to put his marijuana-smoking habits behind him.
What do you think Saints fans? Should New Orleans go after Gregory with the 13th pick if other teams suddenly have cold feet? On the other hand, how would you feel about the team talking about accountability and character as its new goal, yet drafting a player that wasn't smart enough to stop smoking weed early enough not to test positive at the NFL combine?
The floor is yours.