Scouting Report: Randy Gregory

Here is my latest scouting report. I have links to videos, so hopefully that works although I think I might have figured out how to have them directly in the article, but I will try that next time. I was hoping to scout Arik Armstead, but with him being hurt, I do not have a ton of tape on him, so I will wait. I hope you guys enjoy and am interested to hear your thoughts on him as I think I am more down on him than most.

http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2014/10/scouting-report-randy-gregory-deolb-nebraska.html#more-32905

I am not nearly as high on Gregory as some. I think there's a lot of hype.

I thought his game against Michigan St. was pretty bad. I wasn't sure if it had to do with the knee or not, but he was easily handled most of that game. I could have probably linked 10 bad plays from that game. I didn't think he looked all that great against Miami or Rutgers either.

I struggle to see Gregory as a top 5 pick based on his play this season.

Ochmed Jones said:

I struggle to see Gregory as a top 5 pick based on his play this season.

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And here I thought it was just me. I thought I was going to get blasted for being down on Gregory. Even during games, the announcers just cannot stop raving about him and each play they highlight he isn't doing much.
I got into a huge argument with a guy who said he was dominant in the Michigan St. game and that he would never read my stuff again because I clearly had no idea what I was doing.

midwestpatsfan said:

And here I thought it was just me. I thought I was going to get blasted for being down on Gregory. Even during games, the announcers just cannot stop raving about him and each play they highlight he isn't doing much.
I got into a huge argument with a guy who said he was dominant in the Michigan St. game and that he would never read my stuff again because I clearly had no idea what I was doing.

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Really? I had a hard time telling you were "down on Gregory" from your report:

"Many draftniks I respect have Gregory as a sure fire top 5 to 10 pick and between his rare attributes and flashes on tape, I can see why. You can clearly see that teams game plan for Gregory and know where he is at on the field at all times. Gregory commands double and sometimes even triple teams. If he can add some strength to go along with his fluid speed and athleticism, he could be a special force in the NFL."

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You obviously have to decide on your own style and how opinionated you want to be. But personally, I have the most respect for guys like Grid and Drew Boylhart who aren't afraid to state their opinions very clearly and diverge from the beaten path, even if they are sometimes wrong.

I'm on the side of those who think that Gregory could be special. It's his length and athleticism that do it for me. I've yet to watch Beasley and Leonard Williams yet but if I was a 3-4 team not in need of a QB, Gregory would be top of my board (Beasley/Williams excepted for now). I'm less sure about Gregory as a 4-3 base end.

manxman2601 said:

I'm on the side of those who think that Gregory could be special. It's his length and athleticism that do it for me.

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Daniel Jeremiah compares Gregory to a more physical Dion Jordan - ironically, a guy I was high on but you weren't. I get Gregory's length and he's a much better pass rusher than Jordan, but I personally haven't seen that much explosiveness, he's too light to be much of an edge setter, and I don't think he can compare to Jordan in terms of his fluidity in space. I'll be curious to get your thoughts in more detail.

mayoclinic said:

Daniel Jeremiah compares Gregory to a more physical Dion Jordan - ironically, a guy I was high on but you weren't. I get Gregory's length and he's a much better pass rusher than Jordan, but I personally haven't seen that much explosiveness, he's too light to be much of an edge setter, and I don't think he can compare to Jordan in terms of his fluidity in space. I'll be curious to get your thoughts in more detail.

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The one thing I didn't like about Jordan was that he was a pure speed rusher. On every rush he tried to beat the OT around the edge whereas Gregory is much more varied than that. He uses his (big) hands very physically and he tries to turn his speed into power and bull rush the lineman. He also has a swim move that reminds me of Clowney. And I disagree on his lack of ability to the set the edge. I don't think he dominates in that regard yet but I do see glimpses of that ability. I think he uses his length well when setting the edge. The best comparison I can think of for Gregory is Barkevious Mingo. A lighter Clowney also works although I don't think he's as good as Clowney. The reason I consider Gregory so highly is his upside, I think there's a lot of untapped potential there.

My one concern, and it's an issue, particularly as a base 4-3 DE is that he's fairly slow off the snap and that bothers me but that's about the only real negative I have on him.

manxman2601 said:

The one thing I didn't like about Jordan was that he was a pure speed rusher. On every rush he tried to beat the OT around the edge whereas Gregory is much more varied than that. He uses his (big) hands very physically and he tries to turn his speed into power and bull rush the lineman. He also has a swim move that reminds me of Clowney. And I disagree on his lack of ability to the set the edge. I don't think he dominates in that regard yet but I do see glimpses of that ability. I think he uses his length well when setting the edge. The best comparison I can think of for Gregory is Barkevious Mingo. A lighter Clowney also works although I don't think he's as good as Clowney. The reason I consider Gregory so highly is his upside, I think there's a lot of untapped potential there.

My one concern, and it's an issue, particularly as a base 4-3 DE is that he's fairly slow off the snap and that bothers me but that's about the only real negative I have on him.

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I'll buy Gregory as "Mingo lite", but I think Mingo has better athleticism and explosiveness. And Mingo hasn't exactly overwhelmed.

I see Gregory as a tweener. Not strong enough to be a 4-3 base DE, and I question his fluidity in space.

Again, these are early and preliminary observations. I respect the hell out of our opinion, so I will certainly relook at film between now and the draft, and try and keep an open mind. Thanks for the input.

mayoclinic said:

I'll buy Gregory as "Mingo lite", but I think Mingo has better athleticism and explosiveness. And Mingo hasn't exactly overwhelmed.

I see Gregory as a tweener. Not strong enough to be a 4-3 base DE, and I question his fluidity in space.

Again, these are early and preliminary observations. I respect the hell out of our opinion, so I will certainly relook at film between now and the draft, and try and keep an open mind. Thanks for the input.

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without accepting your premise that Gregory won't be effective in space, I thin he looks more than fluid enough, I'm not that concerned about 3-4 OLBs dropping into coverage. We're talking about 5-10 snaps per game, most of which will be in a zone coverage. If I'm drafting a 3-4 OLB it's his pass rush first and setting the edge second that are my concerns. Pass coverage is gravy. And I see him as Clowney-lite, not Mingo. But as you say, there are no certainties here.

manxman2601 said:

And I see him as Clowney-lite, not Mingo.

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Well, I thought Clowney was grossly overhyped. Maybe that's it.

Gregory does not look sudden on tape.

We need a pass rusher that plays sudden.

Ochmed Jones said:

Gregory does not look sudden on tape.

We need a pass rusher that plays sudden.

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You'll be wanting Vic Beasley or Shane Ray then.

Ochmed Jones said:

Gregory does not look sudden on tape.

We need a pass rusher that plays sudden.

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I think that Shane Ray, Alvin Dupree and Vic Beasley are all much more "sudden" than Gregory. Oakman, Armstead and Fowler are more diverse and have a more powerful game.

manxman2601 said:

You'll be wanting Vic Beasley or Shane Ray then.

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Or Bud Dupree.

I watched some of the tape of Gregory, vs Miami this year and VS Michigan last year, and I don't really see him as a top 5-10 pick. He didn't look that special too me. Saw several times where he struggled to seperate from one on one blocks. But I'll have to see some more tape on him.

Will be interesting, at least for me, to watch him play against Purdue. Because Purdues Left Tackle, David Hedelin, is my former teammate.

Three thoughts:

1. Gregory is more than athletic enough

https://twitter.com/espncfb/status/528648647077277696

2. In today's game the interior DL got a virtually unblocked sack because Gregory was being double teamed. He's getting the extra attention that Clowney was getting last year.

3. 15.5 sacks in two years (and counting) is not to be sniffed at particularly as he was hampered somewhat this season by his knee.

Havnt seen him this year, but last year when i was scouting SJB i beleaved Gregory was a 3-4 OLB. Aldon Smith 2.0.

What is it there makes you think he could be a good DE Manx?

Luxusdk said:

Havnt seen him this year, but last year when i was scouting SJB i beleaved Gregory was a 3-4 OLB. Aldon Smith 2.0.

What is it there makes you think he could be a good DE Manx?

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Well if you think he can be Aldon Smith 2.0, probably the same as you don't forget that Smith had the best first two seasons as a pass rusher since sack records began.

I think that's an interesting comparison. I think Gregory has excellent athleticism, a good repertoire of pass rush moves and terrific length. I too think he's better as a 3-4 OLB.