Randy Gregory

Gregory fell heavily to the second round, until being selected by the Dallas Cowboys (60th overall).

He became the first player to have played at Arizona Western to get drafted.

Randy Gregory (born November 23, 1992) is an American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).

As a freshman in 2011, he had 82 tackles, nine sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.

He helped the team reach the NJCAA title game, but it ended in a loss.

As a sophomore for Arizona Western in 2012, he missed the entire season due to a broken fibula in a practice after their first game.

Although he committed to Purdue, the head coach Gregory hoped to play under, Danny Hope, was let go, and he wasn't impressed with how their team played at that time.

Meanwhile, as a result of his injury, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was the only college to reach out to Gregory in his sophomore year.

He ultimately decided to de-commit from Purdue and attend Nebraska instead.

As a sophomore for Nebraska in 2013, he started 10-of-13 games, recording 66 tackles (19 for loss), 10.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hurries, one pass defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception that he returned for a touchdown.

His 10.5 sacks led the Big Ten Conference.

For his efforts, Gregory was named a 2013 first-team All-Big Ten selection and rewarded with Nebraska's Defensive MVP.

Sporting News listed Gregory as their preseason number 5 player in college football for 2014.

As a junior, he started 10 out of 11 games, while making 54 tackles (fifth on the team), 10 tackles for loss (third on the team), 7 sacks (led the team), 16 quarterback hurries, one interception, 3 passes defended, one forced fumble and 2 blocked kicks.

He had missed their second game that season against Fresno State University with an injury.

As early as May 2014, Gregory was projected as a high first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft by various mock drafts.

He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Gregory was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and moved seven times during childhood.

His father, Ken Gregory, played college football at Northwestern.

He attended Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Indiana, where he was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball.

In football, he posted 92 tackles and 17 sacks.

Following his senior season, he was ranked as one of the top 15 players in the state of Indiana.

In addition to numerous scholarship offers in football, Gregory also drew some interest from Division I basketball teams.

Gregory committed to Purdue University out of high school, but he was academically ineligible, ultimately being offered by Purdue to either attend Arizona Western College or Iowa Western Community College.

Gregory decided to enroll at Arizona Western.

He broke his wrist playing basketball, but became a starter for their football team after showing them what he was capable of.

Gregory decided to forgo his senior season and entered the 2015 NFL Draft.

However, after testing positive for marijuana in the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine drug test, he was looked over during the first round of the draft.

In 2015, he showed promise in the preseason (three sacks in three games.) However, in the season opener against New York Giants (three quarterback pressures in only 18 snaps), he suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter that forced him to miss the next four games.

He made his return to the field in Week 7 against the Giants; however, it wasn't until the team's Week 10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that Gregory posted his first professional tackle, making one solo and one assisted tackle in the game.

He didn't have a sack during the season, but still managed 16 quarterback pressures (ranked fourth on the team) and one tackle-for-loss.

On February 19, 2016, Gregory was suspended for the first four games of the season due to violating the league's substance abuse policy.

On September 29, Gregory was reported to have failed a second drug test, just after leaving an undisclosed treatment facility earlier that month, and was removed from the team's roster.

This caused him an additional 10-game suspension, making him ineligible to return to the Cowboys until December 19.

On November 11, it was reported that Gregory failed a third drug test and was facing a policy-mandated year-long suspension, added on to his on-going 14-game suspension.

Gregory was activated from his consecutive suspensions on December 26, prior to a Week 16 matchup against the Detroit Lions.

His year-long suspension was not in place at the time, so he was able to make his 2016 season debut, while the Cowboys released DE Zach Moore for Gregory.

In the game, he told the coaching staff he was able to play through an oblique strain he suffered in the first quarter, and went on to post two tackles and one quarterback hurry.

With the team suffering multiple injuries along the defensive line, he started in the last game of the season, a 27–13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

He recorded his first career sack, as well as one tackle/"stuff" for a 4-yard loss, and a quarterback hurry.