NFL Draft 2015: Packers pick ASU safety Damarious Randall
The Green Bay Packers selected ASU safety Damarious Randall with the 30th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, surprising many Sun Devil fans who believed receiver Jaelen Strong would be the first Arizona State player picked.
Randall becomes the first Sun Devil to go in the first round since the Baltimore Ravens picked linebacker Terrell Suggs in 2003.
Viewed as a third or fourth round pick earlier in the draft process, Randall shot up the draft boards in the final few months of the process. Some analysts believed he was the top safety prospect in a relatively weak draft class at the position. Four cornerbacks were selected before Randall, and indeed he was the first safety picked -- not counting Washington's Shaq Thompson, a linebacker who might project as a safety in some defenses.
Randall's stock grew because scouts saw him as a free safety and an option at nickel, but doubters might point to his 5-foot-11 height and sub-200-pound frame as a concern.
Nonetheless, Randall's instincts and aggression with the Sun Devils served him well. With the NFL becoming more and more pass heavy, his value increased.
Green Bay has its in-house options to replace cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Davon House, who left as free agents this offseason, but Randal has the versatility to fill in the depth chart at cornerback or nickel.
"Really, honestly, I can play both,” Randall said in a conference call with Green Bay reporters, according to FOXSportsWisconsin.com. "Corner's fun to be out there on an island, and then safety, being back there controlling the back end, is also fun. So either one [is fine]. Just being on the field is my mind-set."
In 2014, Randall led the Sun Devils with 106 tackles, 9.5 of which were for a loss. He also led ASU with 12 pass deflections and three interceptions during his senior season.
Nine Pac-12 players were selected in the first round, beginning with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who was selected with the second pick, after Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.