Randy Gregory, slew of defenders lead list of best available Day 2 players

With a strange and unpredictable Round 1 in the books, there’s plenty to talk about with Thursday’s selections — many of them off the wall. But it’s never too early to gaze forward to what should be an interesting Day 2 that is still rife with some quality players available … and why they’re still available.

Taking LSU OT La’el Collins and his unusual situation out of the mix or this consideration, most of the top talent available in our eyes appears to be on the defensive side of the ball. Even with Jameis Winston, Marcus Peters and Shane Ray going in the first 23 picks, it’s clear that teams valued character seriously on Thursday.

Our top 10 best-remaining players include a few players who were taken off teams’ boards — either for Round 1 consideration, or altogether — with serious red flags for their off-field indiscretions. Here’s our list: 

Nebraska DE-OLB Randy Gregory
Virginia DE-OLB Eli Harold
Alabama FS Landon Collins
Florida State DT Eddie Goldman
Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong
LSU CB Jalen Collins
UCLA LB Eric Kendricks
Mississippi CB Senquez Golson
ex-Missouri WR Dorial Green Beckham
Indiana RB Tevin Coleman

Gregory (positive drug test prior to the combine), Jalen Collins (multiple failed drug tests in college) and Green-Beckham (kicked out of Mizzou following domestic abuse allegations) all had first-round physical traits and rare measurables for their respective positions. But their character issues knocked them down into a range where teams are more comfortable rolling the dice on players.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm