NFL Mock Draft 2015: Latest Projections for Star Prospects Before Combine

As the old adage goes, defense wins championships. Although a ton of talk heading into the 2015 NFL draft centers on the battle between Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, it would be foolish to ignore this year's top stars on the defensive side of the ball.

This year's draft class is especially flush with high-ceiling pass-rushers, so the defensive ends and outside linebackers will be flying off the board very quickly in the first round.

There are also plenty of skilled players on the interior of the defense, even if the top-end talent isn't quite there.

Below is a mock for the first 32 picks, followed by four defensive standouts who will warrant special attention on draft day.

Pick	Team	Player
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams, DT/DE, USC
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Randy Gregory, OLB/DE, Nebraska
4	Oakland Raiders	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5	Washington Redskins	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7	Chicago Bears	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
10	St. Louis Rams	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
11	Minnesota Vikings	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
12	Cleveland Browns	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
13	New Orleans Saints	Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida
14	Miami Dolphins	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
16	Houston Texans	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
17	San Diego Chargers	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
19	Cleveland Browns	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
23	Detroit Lions	Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
25	Carolina Panthers	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
26	Baltimore Ravens	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
27	Dallas Cowboys	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
28	Denver Broncos	Ty Sambrailo, OT, Colorado State
29	Indianapolis Colts	Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami
30	Green Bay Packers	Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
31	Seattle Seahawks	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri
32	New England Patriots	Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan

Defensive Stars to Watch

No. 2, Tennessee Titans: Leonard Williams, DT/DE, USC

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

In terms of upside, no player in this draft is better than Leonard Williams. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hadn't cut Josh McCown, maybe Williams would be a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick. Instead, the Buccaneers are obviously going quarterback to fill the void McCown left.

In what is a relatively shallow draft pool, being able to grab a player like Williams would be a massive luxury for the Tennessee Titans:

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller analyzed Williams' value compared to Aaron Donald's. While he ultimately chose Donald, the difference between the two isn't all that significant.

Critics could reasonably argue that Williams' skill is still a bit unrefined, and whoever drafts him is certainly taking him for the player that he could be much more so than the player he is right now.

There's the chance that the USC star does fail to fulfill his massive potential. In this case, the risk is undoubtedly worth the reward.

No. 3, Jacksonville Jaguars: Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to draft Khalil Mack. After Jadeveon Clowney and Greg Robinson were the first two picks off the board, most expected the Jags to take Mack. Instead, they took Blake Bortles. While Bortles remains a work in progress, Jacksonville looks to have picked up the franchise quarterback it had long sought after.

The 2015 draft doesn't necessarily represent the Jags getting to have a redo; it's more like they can have their cake and eat it too. One year, they snag their starting QB for the next decade—Bortles—and the next, they can get the defensive standout—Randy Gregory—they missed out on last year by drafting said QB.

Gregory is likely one of those players who's either going to be very, very good or very, very bad. There won't be a ton of in between.

Jacksonville could go with a safer option, but Gregory could grow into one of the league's premier pass-rushers.

No. 12, Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

While Williams is more a hybrid defensive tackle/defensive end, Danny Shelton leaves no doubt as to where he'll line up. At 6'2" and 339 pounds, he casts a massive shadow on the defensive line.

Surprisingly athletic for a man of his size, Shelton's game extends beyond being a run-stopper:

NFL Network's Mike Mayock made the comparison to Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune:

The Cleveland Browns were pretty weak through the middle of their defense. They allowed 141.6 yards per game on the ground (32nd), while Football Outsiders ranked the unit 31st in run defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).

Drafting Shelton would give the Browns that help inside they desperately need. The only problem is that he might not fall to 12 with the way that his stock continues to rise.

No. 29, Indianapolis Colts: Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami

John Raoux/Associated Press

Much will be made of Denzel Perryman's less than optimal size. At 6'0" and 242 pounds, he will have certain physical disadvantages in the NFL.

However, Perryman backs a ton of power in his somewhat small frame, per Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

If he can get 38 reps on the bench press, it would be the highest total for a linebacker at the combine dating back to at least 2007. Perryman's strength is also evident when watching him wrap up a ball-carrier. He is an excellent tackler.

Perryman isn't a freak athlete, though, which is bound to limit his upside somewhat. That could be the difference between him being an All-Pro linebacker and merely an above-average NFL linebacker.

Inside linebacker has been a bit of a problem area for the Indianapolis Colts, even after the team signed D'Qwell Jackson last year. If the Colts want to improve at the position, Perryman would be one of their best options.