2015 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for First-Round Prospects After Wild Card Round: With the 2015 NFL draft still months away, its even easier to fall down the rabbit hole. The possibilities are seemingly endless, and the draft machine hasnt chewed up and spit out those players whose first-round hopes are all but pipe dreams. Between each teams performance in 2014 and the pool of stars available, you can get a general sense of which players will fill certain needs. Below is a mock for the first round of the draft. The players underlined offer some of the strongest guarantees at this stage in the process. Note: Draft order is courtesy of NFL. 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon Things can change throughout the draft process, so theres a distinct possibility that Marcus Mariota tumbles down draft boards. For now, hes the only player the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should consider. In a draft not exactly flush with great quarterbacks, the Bucs cant afford to let the best one slip through their grasp. 2. Tennessee Titans: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State The Tennessee Titans might be content to stick with Zach Mettenberger for at least another season. But theyre gonna have a chance to draft either Mariota or Jameis Winston this year. Mettenbergers potential isnt as high as Mariotas or Winstons, so the Titans would be wise to target one of the top QBs. 3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Williams, DT, USC You only needed to watch the Detroit Lions nearly beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday to see how much an All-Pro defensive tackle can impact a game. Ndamukong Suh had three tackles and two sacks, constantly causing problems for the Cowboys offensive line. Thats the kind of presence Leonard Williams can be. Hes so talented and so versatile that the sky is the limit for him the NFL. CBS Sports Pete Prisco is among many making the parallel to J.J. Watt: Williams wouldnt single-handedly transform the Jacksonville Jaguars defense, but hed be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. If he falls to the Jags at No. 3, they cant pass him up like they did Khalil Mack last year. 4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama With Derek Carr giving every indication that hes a franchise quarterback, the Oakland Raiders now need to surround him with top-end talent. Amari Cooper is easily the best wideout in the draft and will hit the ground running in the NFL. While not perhaps a top-end athlete, Cooper is a potential perennial Pro Bowler. 5. Washington Redskins: Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska At this stage, Randy Gregory is a bit one-dimensional; he wont initially offer much beyond his ability to rush the passer. Over time, that could change. Or Gregory could simply be a great pass-rusher. Either way, hes a lock for the top five. For a Washington Redskins team starved for playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, Gregory would be a godsend. 6. New York Jets: Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa It feels like this years draft is without that one really great left tackle you build an offensive line around. Brandon Scherff looks to be top of the class right now. The New York Jets need some help on the O-line, so Scherff would be a nice fit. Hes an excellent run-blocker with the room to grow in pass protection. 7. Chicago Bears: Landon Collins, S, Alabama The fact that Landon Collins isnt exactly great in pass coverage is a bit of a concern. Everything else about his game is great, though, especially his ability to defend the run. The Chicago Bears safety situation was woeful in 2014, so Collins would be the perfect guy to come in and correct the issue. 8. Atlanta Falcons: Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri The Atlanta Falcons finished 30th in sacks this past year, so getting after the quarterback is clearly an issue for the team. Shane Ray is an incredible pass-rusher for this stage in the career, and, even better, the Falcons wouldnt have to worry about him failing to contribute against the run. He can stay on the field for every down. One of the few knocks on Ray is that he can sometimes be too reliant on having a physical advantage over his blocker, which isnt going to get him far in the NFL. Over time, though, he should develop and improve his technique to make the most of his physical gifts. As NFLs Daniel Jeremiah tweeted, Ray is a bad man: Unfortunately for Atlanta, Ray might not be around come the eighth pick. 9. New York Giants: Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson The New York Giants need to get younger on the defensive line, and Vic Beasley would help accomplish that goal. Beasleys a great athlete who possesses an even better first step off the line of scrimmage. Size is a bit of a concern, but not so much that it should preclude him from having a great career. 10. St. Louis Rams: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford Once Scherff is off the board, teams will likely end up reaching for offensive tackles. Andrus Peat is among the best offensive tackles in this years class, but No. 10 might be a little high for him. Still, the St. Louis Rams could use another lineman to pair with 2014s top pick, Greg Robinson. 11. Minnesota Vikings: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M Speaking of taking tackles a little too high, Cedric Ogbuehi should probably be hovering near the 15-20 range on talent alone. For somebody of his size, though, Ogbuehi is such a great athlete. You could easily see him surge up draft boards, similar to how Robinson did last year after his great combine. 12. Cleveland Browns: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville After his most recent suspension, Josh Gordons future with the Cleveland Browns is in serious doubt. Even if Cleveland wants to hold onto Gordon, it would still need to add another wide receiver. DeVante Parker doesnt have elite speed or explosiveness, but hed be miles better than what the Browns are throwing out there on a weekly basis. 13. New Orleans Saints: Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, Florida Dante Fowler Jr. lined up just about everywhere in the front seven at Florida, which makes him all the more attractive for an NFL team. Fowlers a fantastic pass-rusher who would be a welcome addition for the New Orleans Saints, given their inability to defend the pass at the point of attack. 14. Miami Dolphins: Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler have been busts since signing with the Miami Dolphins—so much so that the Dolphins might want to use their 2015 first-round pick to strengthen at linebacker. If Shaq Thompson was a member of Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State or another of the countrys top schools, its not crazy to think hed have garnered serious Heisman Trophy consideration. He did a little bit of everything for Washington, helping out on both sides of the ball. The only problem with Thompson is that its hard tying him down to one position. Bleacher Reports Adam Kramer spoke with JC Shurburtt, 247Sports national college football recruiting analyst, who described Thompson as such: He was what I call a ‘shotgun projection. Meaning you could spray a number of positions out there like a shotgun and hit on him. Running back, receiver, linebacker, safety—heck, he could play corner or line up with his hand down and rush the passer. Shaq was one of the most versatile players Ive ever covered. Thompsons natural position is linebacker. Hed be a great target for the Dolphins as they look to rectify their past mistakes at the position. 15. San Francisco 49ers: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia Colin Kaepernick deserved his fair share of criticism for regressing as badly as he did in 2014. Some of the criticism was misplaced, though, with the San Francisco 49ers inability to surround him with talent at the wideout positions. Kevin White has great acceleration and would provide Kaepernick with the downfield threat hes missed for the past few years. 16. Houston Texans: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington At 62 and 339 pounds, Danny Shelton wont have a Leonard Williams-type impact for his new team; hes not ever going to be much of a pass-rusher. Shelton is absolutely enormous, though, and he will eat up a ton of space on the defensive line. 17. San Diego Chargers: Lael Collins, OT, LSU According to Football Outsiders, the San Diego Chargers were among the worst run-blocking teams in the league. The nice thing with drafting Lael Collins is that even if he proves to be suited more for guard than tackle, hed still fill a vital role for the Chargers. 18. Kansas City Chiefs: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State The Kansas City Chiefs are in the same position as the Browns in that their need for a wide receiver is there for all to see. Jaelen Strong makes headlines with some of his incredible catches. That masks his somewhat suspect route-running ability. At the very least, though, he should be able to catch a touchdown pass, something that can no longer be taken for granted by the Chiefs. 19. Cleveland Browns: Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State Cleveland found its wide receiver earlier, so now it can go about improving the middle of its defense. Benardrick McKinney is the top inside linebacker on the board. He ticks off all of the boxes in terms of physical tools. While not the most rangy ILB, McKinney has all of the pieces to become a steady defender in the NFL. 20. Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State The Philadelphia Eagles are just about two positions away from being a true Super Bowl contender: quarterback and cornerback. Theyre in a tough position since no QB is worth a first-rounder beyond Mariota and Winston, and cornerback is a similarly tough position to project right now. Trae Waynes is a nice physical corner who is a ball hawk in the secondary. 21. Cincinnati Bengals: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame Between starting Eric Winston and Andrew Whitworths expiring deal after 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals will have offensive tackle atop their offseason wish list. Physically, Ronnie Stanley should be able to handle quick pass-rushers coming off the edge. 22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State After this years early playoff exit, the Pittsburgh Steelers could easily look to address their secondary in the first round. Eddie Goldman will help the Steelers on the interior. Like Shelton, hes a massive presence on the line. Hes a little lighter than Shelton, which could help him become a more balanced defensive tackle. 23. Detroit Lions: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas Most Detroit Lions fans have resigned themselves to losing Ndamukong Suh in free agency. After Detroits loss to Dallas, Suh spoke about the relationship hes built with his teammates on the defensive line. This is the closest Ive ever been in five years with those guys, he said, per Kyle Meinke of MLive. Each and every week, we challenge ourselves in practice. It was a lot of fun. Good dudes. Every single week of C.J., Nick, JJ, Devin, Ziggy... If Detroit does watch Suh walk away, then it will need to replace him. Malcom Brown offers a cheap alternative. 24. Arizona Cardinals: Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State The Arizona Cardinals defense was among the best in the league, but it didnt excel at getting after the quarterback. Shilique Calhoun could bring his pass-rushing talents to help improve that aspect of the unit. Hes not quite the finished product, which could be an issue for a Cardinals team built to win now. Still, Calhoun would play a role for Arizona in 2015. 25. Carolina Panthers: T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh Its always a bit of a gamble taking a player who changed positions not that long ago. Sure, T.J. Clemmings has advanced quickly as an offensive lineman, but an inordinate amount of his draft stock is arguably wrapped up in the player that he can be rather than the one he is right now. Still, 25th is a smart place to take the gamble for the Carolina Panthers. 26. Baltimore Ravens: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia The Baltimore Ravens would be a perfect situation for Todd Gurley as long as the team brings back Justin Forsett. Forsett could be the short-term stopgap at running back until Gurleys 100 percent again and physically ready to handle NFL defenses. 27. Indianapolis Colts: Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami Denzel Perryman is a bit undersized for an inside linebacker at 511. He makes up for that with above-average speed and an inability to let go of a ball-carrier once he makes contact. In terms of instincts and intelligence, Perryman also knows how to read the game, which is exactly what you want from an ILB. 28. Dallas Cowboys: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington On talent alone, Marcus Peters is a first-round talent. His off-field baggage could push him to Day 2, however. Jerry Jones has never been afraid of taking a risk or two before. Should everything go according to plan here, Peters would be a steal for the Dallas Cowboys 29. Green Bay Packers: Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky This is rather low for Alvin Dupree, so the Green Bay Packers may not have the luxury of determining whether hes a good fit. Dupree would be a nice addition for Green Bay if it continues playing Clay Matthews on the inside. The Packers need to compensate for losing that kind of presence on the outside. 30. New England Patriots: Nelson Agholor, WR, USC More so than with any other team, its almost impossible to predict what the New England Patriots will do in the draft. Nelson Agholor may be the best pure route-runner in the 2015 draft and would give the Pats an NFL-ready wideout. New England will want to maximize its current window, so Agholor might make sense here, even if itd be a reach. 31. Denver Broncos: Ty Sambrailo, OT, Colorado State At 65 and 315 pounds, Ty Sambrailo is a bit undersized for a top-end offensive tackle. Hell add some bulk once he hits the NFL, though, mitigating the problem somewhat. The Denver Broncos cant hope to get much better if they want to upgrade the offensive line through the draft. 32. Seattle Seahawks: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn The Seattle Seahawks might prefer to target a more NFL-ready wide receiver. Sammie Coates athleticism and potential will be too hard to pass up. Hed offer a great vertical threat for Russell Wilson and bring a new dimension to the teams passing attack. Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #NFL #Opinion
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 14:57:09 +0000