When it comes to taking risks in the NFL draft a team can only test their luck for so long. If the Dallas Cowboys front office solely made a living off of the gambles it has made in the second round of the NFL Draft, it is safe to say the loan sharks would be feeding. Lately, the risk vs. reward factor of drafting a player with substance abuse or injury problems has proven to be much more of a liability than a benefit for the Cowboys. And because the last two years second round picks have thus far failed to suffice, the Dallas defense is riddled with holes.

When the University of Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft most scouts had him listed as one of the most talented defensive prospects available. Many scouts compared him to the likes of Von Miller. Physically, Gregory has the intangibles to be a prolific pass rusher. Something Dallas has desperately needed since the departure of Demarcus Ware after the 2013 season. Originally most NFL talent evaluators had Gregory slated as an early first round draft pick. NFL teams were drooling over the fantasy of Gregory burying his facemask into the chest of opposing quarterbacks. Projected to be a nightmare matchup for most offensive lines, Gregory was all but set to be a successful NFL athlete for years to come. He essentially was the definition of a "wardaddy", a popular term recently coined by Jerry Jones for an explosive defensive lineman.

The hype train surrounding Gregory came to a screeching halt when he failed the drug test at the2015 NFL Combine. The drug test has been referred to as the "idiot test" since athletes know beforehand that they will be tested. However, this was not the first red flag to arise and it is safe to say that some scouts and analysts were not surprised. At Nebraska, Gregory officially tested positive for marijuana twice and was one strike away from being kickoff the team. Additionally, he showed up late to pre-draft interviews. Almost immediately Gregory was shouded in negativity by talent evaluators. Some teams removed the Nebraska defensive lineman from their draft boards entirely. "At some point, the risk meets the reward, especially at the bottom of the (first) round -- those are good teams," said an area scout for one team, assigned to Nebraska. "They miss; it's not a big deal. But the top 20 picks of each round, it's tough. He's either going be a good player or he's not going to be in the NFL."

The Dallas front office negated the handful of warning signs and rolled the dice on Gregory by taking him with the 60th pick. Initially, the plan was for the team to surround him with positive influences and mentors to help him navigate away from his dependence of marijuana. Jason Garrett immediately showed Gregory support, "We feel like he's a very talented guy with very good football character. We have to help him with some of the off-the-field stuff and we're excited about that challenge."

The Cowboys have all but lost the challenge that is Randy Gregory.

Gregory managed to complete his rookie season without incident, but he did miss four games with an ankle injury. His first suspension of fourteen games was handed down in February of 2016 as a result of him failing back to back drug tests. The Cowboys immediately checked him into rehab that summer in hopes of having him back for a potential playoff run. However, in November he failed another drug test and after much deliberation he was given a suspension lasting a full calendar year. Meaning, the soonest the Cowboys could have him back is in the playoffs in January of 2018. That is of course, if he doesn’t fail another drug test. If suspended again, he will be given a lifetime ban.

It is yet to be determined if the Cowboys will elect to keep Gregory when or if he is reinstated by the NFL. As Raider’s linebacker Aldon Smith discovered last year, the process can be painstakingly slow. Gregory will be in the final year of his rookie contract by the time he is eligible to play again and the Cowboys find themselves devoid of defensive firepower. Because of his suspensions and injuries he has only suited up for 14 of a possible 48 regular season games.

Instead of choosing a sure fire draft pick with their second round pick in 2015, the Dallas Cowboys elected to go with an ultra-talented and risky Randy Gregory. And because their risk has yet to pay off they find themselves with a lackluster defensive unit. The Cowboys will most likely be forced to overcompensate for their deficiencies on the defense in this year’s draft, instead of surrounding their new quarterback with young offensive talent.