NFL Mock Draft 2015: Forecasting Selections Every 1st-Round Team Will Make
The 2015 NFL draft is stacked with plenty of talent, and the teams lucky enough to be selecting in the first round will have a fantastic opportunity to get better regardless of where their pick is.
Those picking early are obviously at an advantage; however, it is already clear that there is value to be had from the top of the opening round to the bottom. Several positions are extremely deep on paper, and it should make for a very intriguing draft.
With draft interest increasing by the day, here is a full rundown of predictions for what every team will do in the first round of the 2015 draft.
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1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
The Buccaneers have a golden opportunity to shake up the franchise in a positive way with the No. 1 overall pick, and taking a successful quarterback with all the tools like Winston seems like the perfect move.
2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
After addressing their pass-rushing needs in free agency, there is now a clear path for the Titans to find a new franchise quarterback. There has been some negative talk regarding Mariota since his pro day, but his on-field play suggests he is deserving of this pick.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
The fact that the Jaguars lose the battles in the trenches so often has contributed to their struggles in recent years. Scherff will help both in terms of pass-blocking and run-blocking, which makes him a safe pick here.
4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Oakland is severely lacking when it comes to impact playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Young quarterback Derek Carr needs more weapons, and Cooper would certainly be a great one.
5. Washington Redskins: Leonard Williams, DL, USC
There may be no more talented and impressive prospect in the entire NFL draft than USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, which is why the Washington Redskins brass will be doing cartwheels if he is still available at No. 5.
Williams could very well be taken earlier, but he may not be a fit for any of the top four teams. If they determine that to be the case, then he will fall into the welcoming arms of the Redskins.
The 6'5", 300-pound star had a fantastic collegiate career with the Trojans, and he is coming off a season that saw him accrue seven sacks and rack up seven or more tackles in six games, which is a hugely impressive feat for a defensive lineman.
Williams essentially does everything well, but NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah is especially impressed with his penchant for avoiding blockers:
In fact, Williams is so talented that Bleacher Report's Matt Miller believes he has a better NFL future than St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who had nine sacks as a rookie:
Washington ranked 30th in scoring defense this past season at over 27 points allowed per game and ranked a pedestrian 21st in sacks. Those are two areas in which Williams should make a major impact.
One dominant defensive lineman is capable of making an entire defense better, and the Redskins will certainly be hopeful that Williams makes that type of difference if they are able to land him.
6. New York Jets: Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
The Jets already had a solid defense last season, but it has improved by leaps and bounds through free agency. Adding a potentially dominant pass-rusher like Gregory would give new head coach Todd Bowles one of the most talented defensive units in football.
7. Chicago Bears: Landon Collins, S, Alabama
Contrary to the historical reputation of the Bears franchise, defense has been a major issue for Chicago in recent years. Collins was a heart-and-soul play at Alabama, and he can start the reversal of fortunes for the Bears defense.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri
The Falcons put a ton of extra stress on their secondary this past season by failing to sack the quarterback with regularity. If they can nab a pure pass-rusher like Ray, though, that should change in 2015.
9. New York Giants: Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
New York has enough pieces in place offensively to be a threat in the NFC East next season. The defense needs to improve in a major way, though, and Thompson is the type of player who can make an instant splash.
10. St. Louis Rams: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
Since Janoris Jenkins hasn't developed into the shutdown cornerback many had hoped he would, the Rams are most definitely in the market for one. Waynes is the closest thing to it in this draft, and he makes plenty of sense at No. 10.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
The Vikings must do everything possible to ensure that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will be successful moving forward. Protecting him is the easiest way to do that, and Peat is fully equipped to do that.
12. Cleveland Browns: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
There is a great deal of uncertainty as it relates to the Browns' quarterback situation, but that doesn't mean Cleveland can't build around that position. It needs someone to replace Josh Gordon, and White would do that masterfully.
13. New Orleans Saints: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
The New Orleans defense took an absolutely massive step back in 2014 partly due to the fact that it couldn't lock down top receivers. Peters made a habit of doing just that at Washington, and the Saints will hope to see him carry it over.
14. Miami Dolphins: Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
The Miami Dolphins defense continued to take big strides in 2014 thanks largely to an impressive defensive line, but they must make improvements at the next level in order to truly reach elite status.
Miami has some definite question marks at linebacker, which is why it is easy to envision the Dolphins pouncing on Mississippi State inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney if he is available.
McKinney was the leader of a Bulldogs defense that was dominant for long stretches of the 2014 season and helped the team reach the No. 1 ranking. He is a sure-handed tackler with a high football IQ, which makes him an ideal middle linebacker in the NFL.
With that said, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star believes he could be even better with a different role once he enters the league:
Whatever the case, McKinney is a promising NFL prospect who is bound to make a major impact. It is also quite clear that the game of football means a lot to him, as does the opportunity to play in the NFL, according to Michael Bonner of The Clarion-Ledger.
"It's very exciting. Growing up, I wanted to play in the league. It was my dream to play in the NFL," McKinney said. "I knew it was going to be a hard goal to complete. But being around the coaches I've had, my family, they push me to be the best I could be."
It can be argued that the Dolphins haven't had a truly great middle linebacker since Zach Thomas left following the 2007 season. McKinney is an instinctual player like Thomas, and it is easy to envision him having a similar impact in Miami.
15. San Francisco 49ers: Danny Shelton, DL, Washington
The success of the 49ers defense is incumbent upon the defensive line's ability to eat up blockers. Nobody in this draft does that better than Shelton, who could bring the Niners defense back to elite status.
16. Houston Texans: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
After making the difficult decision to release longtime star wide receiver Andre Johnson, the Texans need another option across from DeAndre Hopkins. At No. 16, that makes Parker a no-brainer selection.
17. San Diego Chargers: Cameron Erving, OL, Florida State
The Chargers learned firsthand this season that injuries can wreak havoc on an offensive line. They struggled at center in particular, and Erving proved at Florida State in 2014 that he can play in the middle or anywhere else along the line.
18. Kansas City Chiefs: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
Kansas City did well to address its glaring wide receiver deficiency by signing Jeremy Maclin, but it needs another pass-catcher to complete the transformation, and Strong fits the bill.
19. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo Bills): Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
After addressing a big need on the offensive side of the ball at No. 12, the Browns can afford to shift focus at No. 19. Head coach Mike Pettine is a defensive guy, and he would love to have a dynamic pass-rusher like Beasley.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
The Eagles' explosive offense was squandered in 2014 due largely to a lousy pass defense. Philadelphia needs to find some answers in the secondary, and Williams has all the makings of a longtime starter at cornerback.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Dante Fowler, DE, Florida
After ranking last in the NFL in sacks in 2014 and getting ousted in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year, it is clear that the Bengals need an impact pass-rusher. Fowler fits the bill and would be a major steal at this juncture.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
After getting carved up by quarterback Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs, there is no doubt that the Pittsburgh secondary needs to get better. Collins is an exciting cornerback prospect who may be able to make an immediate impact.
23. Detroit Lions: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
While Detroit's defense as a whole was fantastic in 2014, its interior defensive line needs a boost after the departure of Ndamukong Suh. Acquiring Haloti Ngata was a great move, and bringing in Goldman would be huge as well.
24. Arizona Cardinals: Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
The Cardinals remarkably made the playoffs despite dealing with a number of big injuries on both sides of the ball. Their pass rush is adversely impacted by that especially, which is why adding some insurance in the form of Dupree would be wise.
25. Carolina Panthers: La'el Collins, OT, LSU
Despite winning the NFC South and having some success in the playoffs, there is no doubt that the Carolina Panthers are a flawed team. Perhaps their biggest concern is keeping quarterback Cam Newton off the ground.
The Panthers have had issues at offensive tackle since the retirement of Jordan Gross, but they are in position to change that by selecting La'el Collins of LSU.
Collins showed a ton of versatility during his time with the Tigers as he started at guard before making the move to tackle. There were some questions regarding his ability to get the job done as a tackle at the NFL level, but he answered them in a big way at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine.
According to NFL Network's Brian Billick, Collins was among the most impressive tackles in drills, especially as a pass-blocker:
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah agreed and praised Collins' pure athleticism:
Collins' ability to move fluidly is something that figures to make him quite attractive to the Panthers since they like to run read-option plays in an effort to get their players out in space.
If Collins is able to translate that style of play from the practice field to in-game situations as an NFL player, then he makes all the sense in the world for Carolina at No. 25.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
The Ravens have some major question marks at running back entering the 2015 season. With that in mind, investing in a stud like Gordon makes a lot of sense, especially since Baltimore is so much better when its running game is clicking.
27. Dallas Cowboys: Nate Orchard, DE, Utah
The Cowboys have done remarkably well this season despite a lack of star power on defense. Dallas would benefit from a true pass-rusher, and Orchard is as good as it gets at this point in the first round.
28. Denver Broncos: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
The Broncos are stacked at the skill positions; however, they can certainly afford to make some improvements in the trenches. Brown is among the best defensive tackles in this draft, and a perfect fit for Denver.
29. Indianapolis Colts: Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
Indianapolis has already made some solid improvements on both sides of the ball this season, which gives it the luxury to chase pure talent at No. 29. Armstead is an extremely skilled and versatile defensive lineman, and he seems like a great scheme fit as well.
30. Green Bay Packers: Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami (Florida)
Green Bay has really struggled to stop the run at times as it allowed nearly 120 yards per game during the regular season. A lack of talent at inside linebacker is a big reason for that, which is why Perryman is an obvious pick.
31. New Orleans Saints (from Seattle Seahawks): Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan
After somewhat shockingly trading tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks for center Max Unger and this pick, the Saints need a replacement at tight end. Like Graham, Funchess is an athletic pass-catcher who could thrive in New Orleans' offense.
32. New England Patriots: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has thrived during his career without the benefit of elite weapons at times. New England's wide receiver corps leaves something to be desired, but the immensely talented Green-Beckham would change that.
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