We're just a couple days removed from the NFL Scouting Combine, but opinions of top prospects are already starting to shift as narratives surrounding players begin to evolve based on testing results.
One polarizing player in the 2015 NFL Draft is Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory. While many believe he is a top-10 pick, NFL Films' Greg Cosell goes a few steps further. He had already gone on record saying Gregory is a better prospect than last year's No. 1 overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney. When asked Wednesday if he still feels the same way after seeing Gregory test at the combine, he said "probably."
"He's a better athlete than Clowney. He's more flexible. He's more explosive in his movement," Cosell told The Midday 180 radio show in Nashville, Tenn. "Clearly, not as strong. Clowney could get inside and push back, but Clowney did not have the loose hips that this guy does. Gregory's a much more explosive mover, a much looser athlete."
Quite a bold statement, given that Clowney is considered one of the most freakish athletes the draft has ever seen.
"Gregory's kind of shifty and elusive in his movement. He's a quick-twitch, explosive guy laterally," Cosell said. "Clowney was more straight-line power."
Still, you'd have a hard time convincing some that Gregory is ahead of Clowney despite the raw Nebraska pass rusher's obvious upside. Clowney was considered the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school and was a near unanimous choice for Houston to take atop last year's draft after a productive career at South Carolina and eye-popping performance at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine.
NFL Media analysts see Gregory going as high as No. 3 overall this year to the Jacksonville Jaguars in their latest mock drafts, with a floor of the No. 8 pick and the Atlanta Falcons.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
