CHICAGO -- Randy Gregory could have cried after falling nearly to the end of the second round of the NFL draft Friday night.
Instead, he found a little humor.
Told he was the No. 2 trender on Twitter worldwide after the Dallas Cowboys ended his marijuana-driven draft tumble with the No. 60 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, Gregory deadpanned: "I think I've been trending on Twitter a lot here lately."
Just not in the direction he wanted.
Perhaps the best pass rusher in the draft, a failed drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine in February dropped him from being a potential top-10 pick. With at least two other positive drug tests from his days at Nebraska, concerns about his maturity after he was late to or missed pre-draft meetings with NFL clubs, and even concern about his ability to handle the mental demands of being a pro football player, his wait in the green room at Chicago's Auditorium Theater was the longest of the 26 players attending the draft in person.
"I deserved (to have to wait) at the end of the day," Gregory said. "... I made a real dumb decision that's been the most embarrassing part of my life up to this point. I'm just ready to fix it."
In Dallas, Gregory will team with second-year pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence for what could be a dynamic tandem for the Cowboys' defense. Gregory said the Cowboys can put a support system around him that will help him stay out of trouble, and he's ready to get a disastrous pre-draft process behind him.
"This really hit me hard. It hit my family hard, and I'm trying to turn it into a positive," Gregory said.
Gregory said he had a 40-minute one-on-one discussion with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and believes defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is just the type of coach he needs to stay focused.
Time will tell, but for now, Gregory is just ready to start his pro career -- even if it started 40 or 50 picks too late.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
