After it was revealed by NFL.com that Nebraska pass-rusher Randy Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the rookie scouting combine, the assumption was that it would drop him down many team's draft boards, potentially out of the first-round and even off some boards altogether.
It seems that the failed drug test has a number of teams rethinking their initial position on Gregory and looking to take another crack at getting to know him, should he, in fact, fall to the latter portion of round one.
"League source informs me since the Randy Gregory story broke almost a half dozen new teams scheduled visits, San Diego & Pittsburgh included," tweeted Tony Pauline of Draft Insider.
While the combination of the failed drug test and the ample pass-rushing depth in the 2015 NFL Draft seem destined to, as Joel Klatt of FOX Sports surmised, potentially knock him down to the late first and potentially out of the draft's initial round altogether that may not actually be the case.
"A landing spot for Randy Gregory: One scout noted his talent is "special." Keep an eye on #Falcons at 8. ATL is open to edgier players now," tweeted Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
The notion that the Falcons are willing to take on "edgier" players was either a terrific play on words by Rapoport or a somewhat breaking bit of news. It's not that Atlanta has been averse to players with personality issues in the past - Mike Vick - it's simply that they've never seemed to have a strong stance one way or the other.
With Dan Quinn now at the helm, perhaps the mental makeup and overall organizational philosophy is about to change for the Falcons. Despite Gregory's positive test, he's still a top-five quarterback-corralling talent in a draft laden with high-quality pass-rushers who could prove very intriguing to the Atlanta brass.
The Falcons were, of course, one of the worst pass-rushing teams in the league last season - they finished tied with the Oakland Raiders for second-fewest with just 22 quarterback takedowns - so the need for added pass-rush punch in Atlanta is glaring and the sleek Gregory would fit that role to a tee, failed test or no.
As has been proven time and again, all it takes is one team to fall in love with a player's talent and potential to make a guy that the 31 other teams wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, a high draft pick.
