NFL Draft 2015: Updated Order and Predicting Key Decisions That Will Shape Board

Every draft has a few pivotal moments. Maybe a team decides to trade its future for a quarterback. Maybe another team passes up the player everyone in that city wants it to take and goes a different route. Whatever the case may be, those moments can completely change how the draft plays out.

Below, I'll provide my predictions for some of the key decisions and picks to be made in this draft, along with taking a look at the current draft order. It may be early January, but it's never too soon to start looking ahead to this year's draft.

Draft Order

Selection	Team
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2	Tennessee Titans
3	Jacksonville Jaguars
4	Oakland Raiders
5	Washington Redskins
6	New York Jets
7	Chicago Bears
8	Atlanta Falcons
9	New York Giants
10	St. Louis Rams
11	Minnesota Vikings
12	Cleveland Browns
13	New Orleans Saints
14	Miami Dolphins
15	San Francisco 49ers
16	Houston Texans
17	San Diego Chargers
18	Kansas City Chiefs
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)
20	Philadelphia Eagles
21	Cincinnati Bengals
22	Pittsburgh Steelers
23	Detroit Lions
24	Arizona Cardinals
25	Carolina Panthers*
26	Baltimore Ravens*
27	Indianapolis Colts*
28	Dallas Cowboys*
29	Denver Broncos*
30	Green Bay Packers*
31	Seattle Seahawks*
32	New England Patriots*

Breaking Down Key Decisions

Without question, the biggest decisions that will impact this year's draft will come from several of the top underclassmen prospects. Will Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and Amari Cooper declare for this year's draft?

Really, Mariota and Winston are the key names. If they both declare, there's a very good chance you could see some posturing at the top of the board, as teams outside of the top five consider moving up in the draft to select one of the two players. If neither of them comes out, this will be the weakest quarterback class in years. 

Of course, that leads us to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their decision with the No. 1 pick will impact the entire draft. One would guess they would select Mariota No. 1 overall if he leaves college—and honestly, if he wins a national title in the same year he won the Heisman, what left would he have to accomplish in college?—and pair him with Mike Evans to create a truly scare passing attack. 

If both Mariota and Winston declare, the next fascinating aspect of this draft will be where Winston is selected.

Will the Tennessee Titans roll the dice on him at No. 2, or will Ken Whisenhunt give Zach Mettenberger a full year to prove himself? Will the New York Jets and their media firestorm take on a quarterback with character concerns?

Could he drop all the way to No. 10, and if he did, would the St. Louis Rams move on from Sam Bradford to draft Winston? Could he possibly drop all the way to No. 16, where the Houston Texans would surely draft him in a heartbeat? Or No. 20, where the Philadelphia Eagles would have to consider him?

Questions, so many questions.

More than likely, Mariota, Winston and Cooper will all enter the draft. Mariota will go No. 1 overall, Winston won't drop past the Jets at No. 6, and Cooper will be a top-10 pick, likely going to the Oakland Raiders at No. 4 to give Derek Carr an elite weapon in the passing game. And a draft that would be a bit lean at the top without these three players will look much, much stronger with them hitting the league.

Other teams will have pretty big decisions, however. It's hard to imagine the Eagles trading all the way to the top of the draft to land Mariota, but what if he falls out of the top three? What would Chip Kelly be willing to give up to obtain his former quarterback and the perfect fit for the system he wants to run?

Probably not what it would take to get Mariota. The Eagles have enough needs that need to be filled and shouldn't be giving up future first-rounders, which is what it would take to land Mariota, but it sure is fun to imagine.

What about the Cleveland Browns? If they fall in love with a player—cough, cough, Amari Cooper, cough—will they package their Nos. 12 and 19 picks to move up and give Johnny Manziel another elite playmaker? Or will they wait it out and add two nice players?

I'd guess they'll wait, since they are in a position to draft two studs if they play their cards right. Though given the team's rocky relationship with Josh Gordon and the struggles of Justin Gilbert in his rookie year, the Browns might be wishing they had just selected Sammy Watkins last year.