The Sports Xchange

The second day of the 2015 NFL Draft served up plenty of intrigue, headlined by elite pass rusher Randy Gregory’s fall to the Dallas Cowboys. Ten takeaways from Day 2:

10. Randy Gregory falls, falls, falls… right to the Cowboys at No. 60.

Throughout the 2014 season, Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory was a mainstay in the top 10 of first round mock drafts. But numerous failed drug tests, including one at the 2015 Scouting Combine, sabotaged his draft stock, dropping him out of the first round. But at some point, the talent is worth the risk and for the Dallas Cowboys, that was at pick No. 60 in the second round. In fact, Gregory was a prospect that was in play for Dallas in the first round at pick No. 27. So while he will need a support system in Dallas, it could end up being an enormous steal.

9. Tennessee adds an athletic pass-catcher for Mariota.

The Titans did a lot of research during the draft process on the top wide receiver talents in this draft class, including Amari Cooper and Kevin White in the first round. But Tennessee went with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota at pick No. 2, making receiver a possibility in the second round. And after trading back to pick No. 40, the Titans drafted Oklahoma receiver Dorial Green-Beckham.

An NFL prospect with rare physical traits, Green-Beckham is the type of wide receiver that even when covered, he is open due to his gargantuan size and freakish athleticism. He is still unpolished in several areas and his off-field issues have been well-documented, but there is a ton of untapped potential with on-field ability that would warrant top 10 overall consideration in this draft class.

8. No La’el Collins; will re-enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

The La’el Collins situation took another turn on Friday with reports that the LSU offensive lineman planned to remove himself from this draft class if not drafted on day two. Rounds two and three came and went and no Collins, so he reportedly plans to enter the 2016 NFL Draft a year from now. Collins has been connected with the shooting death of a 29-year old pregnant woman, Brittany Mills, and her newborn baby. He is not considered a suspect, but is scheduled to meet with police next week.

Collins left Chicago earlier this week, the site of the 2015 NFL Draft, to return to Louisiana and address the issue. NFL teams are worried about his possible involvement and aren’t ready to take the risk given the current details of the situation.

7. Garrett Grayson, Sean Mannion off the board; Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty still waiting.

This year’s quarterback class had a no-brainer top-two with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. But who would be that No. 3 quarterback off the board? No quarterbacks were drafted in the second round, but in the third round, the New Orleans Saints picked Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson at No. 75 and the St. Louis Rams drafted Oregon State’s Sean Mannion at No. 89. Meanwhile, Baylor’s Bryce Petty and UCLA’s Brett Hundley are still waiting and will be available when day three starts on Saturday. Big difference between the passers? Grayson and Mannion played in a pro-style scheme, something that will help with the transition.

6. Giants trade up to get a physical SEC safety.

With only two trades in the first round, the New York Giants didn’t waste any time making the first trade on day two. The Giants moved up to No. 33, the first pick in the second round, to select Alabama safety Landon Collins. Safety was one of the Giants’ top needs entering this weekend, and he should be a plug-and-play option at strong safety. Collins was a versatile chess piece for Nick Saban’s defense, lining up at free safety, strong safety and weak-side linebacker the past two years in both man and zone coverages. He has terrific break down skills as a reliable enforcer against the run, but he doesn’t always trust his instincts in coverage and is a much better player in the box than single high.

5. Jordan Richards at No. 64 the first “woah” pick of the draft.

The first “whoa” pick in my opinion came at No. 64 overall when the New England Patriots selected Stanford safety Jordan Richards. A team captain and son of a coach, Richards plays much bigger than he looks (5-11, 211), but his lack of speed and range impede his cover skills, struggling to be a consistent playmaker in space. While he plays with a hunter mentality with the football smarts for the NFL, Richards’ aggressiveness quickly turns into lack of discipline against both the run and the pass. I graded him as a late-round player and special teams backup, but we’ll see if Patriots coach Bill Belichick hits gold with this player.

4. Jaelen Strong falls to the third round and the Texans trade up to get him.

After six wide receivers were drafted in the first round, only two wideouts heard their names called in the second round, but neither was Arizona State pass catcher Jaelen Strong. The talented receiver was still available when the third round started, prompting the Houston Texans to trade up to pick No. 70 in order to secure the former Sun Devil. The Texans parted ways with the team’s all-time leading receiving, Andre Johnson, over the offseason and could use a well-built possession target who can body-up defensive backs and be a threat in the red zone. That’s Strong, a good fit in Houston.

3. Packers add another versatile defensive back in the second round.

The Packers drafted Arizona State’s Damarious Randall at pick No. 30 in the first round, the first safety off the board. But he will likely be a cornerback for Green Bay. On the flipside, the Packers drafted Miami (Ohio) cornerback Quinten Rollins in the second round (No. 62), but he likely will be a safety in Green Bay. Rollins was an unknown a year ago at this point because he spent the first four years of his collegiate career on the basketball team, walking on the football squad in 2014 and developing into the MAC defensive player of the year. He has the athletic traits and mental makeup to be a safety or cornerback in the NFL.

9. Jay Ajayi and T.J. Clemmings undrafted through three rounds due to injuries.

Unfortunately in football, injuries are a part of the game. And for players like Boise State running back Jay Ajayi and Pittsburgh offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings, a pair of top 40 talents, it has pushed them through the first three rounds undrafted. Ajayi has a lingering knee issue that has caused concern about his longevity at the next level. He is healthy to play right now, but does he have one year in him or six? There is no way for doctors to know. And Clemmings is dealing with a stress fracture in his foot, something that was discovered late in the process and is a question mark.

10. Steelers add another talented, but raw receiver.

In last year’s NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers nabbed Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant in the fourth round – a talented athlete who was still raw at the receiver position. He showed impressive flashes as a rookie last season with eight touchdowns, including six in a four-game span.

The Steelers are hoping for similar results from Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates, who is well-built (6-1, 212) and runs like the wind (4.43), but has his share of drops and needs a lot of work with his routes. It would be unfair to expect similar results from Coates this year, but he does have several similarities to Bryant as a prospect.

–Dane Brugler is a Senior Analyst for www.NFLDraftScout.com, a property of The Sports Xchange distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com.