NFL teams are taking one of the top prospects in the draft off their boards, and no one is sure why
(Eric Francis/Getty) Randy Gregory was once considered a high first-round pick.
Randy Gregory, a pass rusher from Nebraska who's considered one of the top prospects in the NFL Draft, has seen his stock tumble in the days leading up to the draft.
In a strange development, unnamed "off-the-field" issues are scaring teams off to the point where some are taking him off their draft boards entirely, according to a report from NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer.
Rapoport and Breer wrote Wednesday:
"At least three general managers view [Gregory] as a top-five talent. But according to more than a dozen coaches, scouts, personnel chiefs and GMs, there is concern about Gregory's ability to handle the mental rigors of professional football. And just how far he drops in this week's draft will likely hinge on the individual psychological profiles (and the results of related testing) put together by each team, according to multiple veteran evaluators. He has been taken off a several team's draft boards, according to multiple sources."
There's no elaboration of what these issues actually are. Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the 2015 Combine, but that's a fairly common occurrence, and the NFL.com report from Wednesday seems to be referring to something else entirely.
It's clear Gregory's draft stock is taking a massive hit.
On March 23, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks' mock draft had Gregory going fifth to the Washington Redskins. A week later, after news of the positive marijuana test broke, Brooks' updated mock draft had Gregory going 13th to the New Orleans Saints.
Since then, Gregory has been slowly sliding down mock drafts. Our final expert consensus mock draft doesn't have him going in the first round.
The fallout seems to have worsened since Rapoport and Breer's report. Jay Glazer told Dan Patrick that he wouldn't draft Gregory:
"I wouldn't touch him....from what teams say...there are other issues." Jay Glazer on LB Randy Gregory.
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) April 29, 2015
It's an odd situation all around, and we may have to wait until the draft is over to get some clarity.
NOW WATCH: Trailer for Manny Pacquiao biopic 'Kid Kalufu' chronicles his early life in the Philippines
More From Business Insider
