NFL Draft 2015: Projected Landing Places for Top Prospects in Draft

Following the conclusion of the regular season, 20 NFL teams realized they need to get better to participate in the playoffs. Rest assured, each franchise is already thoroughly looking into how it can improve through the draft.

Building a young team by wisely selecting prospects has been a recipe for success in the NFL for quite some time. While adding veterans through free agency is always an enticing option, the league's most stable teams have been built from the ground up. This is why getting the draft right is so important.

Of course, plenty will change between now and when the draft officially commences, as the Senior Bowl, combine and pro days have yet to take place. However, mock drafts are already running rampant across the Internet, as football fans are yearning to find out who will become the next superstar for their team.

Here's a glimpse of how the draft's first round could potentially shake out if it were to happen today.

Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon
2	Tennessee Titans	Randy Gregory	DE/OLB	Nebraska
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Williams	DT	USC
4	Oakland Raiders	Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama
5	Washington Redskins	Shane Ray	DE	Missouri
6	New York Jets	Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State
7	Chicago Bears	Landon Collins	S	Alabama
8	Atlanta Falcons	Vic Beasley	DE/OLB	Clemson
9	New York Giants	Shaq Thompson	LB	Washington
10	St. Louis Rams	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State
11	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville
12	Minnesota Vikings	Brandon Scherff	OT	Iowa
13	New Orleans Saints	Dante Fowler	DE/OLB	Florida
14	Miami Dolphins	Andrus Peat	OT	Stanford
15	San Francisco 49ers	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
16	Houston Texans	La'el Collins	OT	LSU
17	San Diego Chargers	Marcus Peters	CB	Washington
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Kevin White	WR	West Virginia
19	Cleveland Browns (via Bills)	Shawn Oakman	DE	Baylor
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	Oregon
21	Carolina Panthers	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh
22	Baltimore Ravens	Bud Dupree	DE/OLB	Kentucky
23	Cincinnati Bengals	Jaelen Strong	WR	Arizona State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Eddie Goldman	DT	Florida State
26	Detroit Lions	Danny Shelton	DT	Washington
27	Indianapolis Colts	Danielle Hunter	DE	LSU
28	Dallas Cowboys	Benardrick McKinney	LB	Miss State
29	Denver Broncos	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
30	Green Bay Packers	P.J. Williams	CB	Florida State
31	Seattle Seahawks	Devin Funchess	WR	Michigan
32	New England Patriots	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Oklahoma

Note: Only picks 1-20 are cemented. Picks 21-32 will be determined by the playoffs.

Mock Draft Analysis

5. Washington Redskins: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The Redskins have many holes to fill; however, one of this team's biggest needs is another pass-rusher to complement Ryan Kerrigan. Washington finished the 2014 season ranked 20th in the league with 37 sacks, and 13.5 of them came from its star outside linebacker.

Adding a talent like Ray on the other side would instantly balance out Washington's pass rush, making it very difficult for opposing offensive lines to focus all the attention on one player. After all, this team cannot continue to rely on the oft-injured Brian Orakpo, who is slated to hit free agency.

Ray is lightning quick at 6'3" and 245 pounds. His speed is matched by his explosiveness off the line and his raw physical power. These traits allow him to beat offensive linemen in a number of ways, and that's shown in the 12.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss he generated with the Tigers in 2014, per CFBStats.com.

Mizzou Football noted the many All-American honors given to the defensive end this season:

Washington's defense finished 20th in the league in yards allowed and 29th in points allowed in 2014. Adding another prolific pass-rusher would certainly improve the team's standing in both of those categories.

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Let's kick this off with a ridiculous statistic from 2014: Not a single Chiefs wide receiver caught a touchdown pass through the entire 16-game season. Ouch.

The end result was Kansas City finishing 29th in the league in passing yards and missing out on the playoffs. Expect this position to be the team's highest priority when the draft rolls around. Luckily, there's some nice first-round talent at wide receiver for Andy Reid and Co.

White is an exceptional athlete. At 6'3" and 210 pounds, he fits the mold of an NFL outside receiver, and his muscular frame allows him to win contested jump balls. White has nice acceleration and great straight-line speed, making him a valuable deep threat—something Kansas City has been severely lacking.

However, the West Virginia standout isn't only a vertical receiver. His quickness and sound footwork allow him to make sharp, crisp cuts and get open on short, underneath routes. He sees the field very well and has a high level of elusiveness that serves him well in creating yards after the catch.

Here's a look at what the prolific wide receiver has done time and time again this season, via College GameDay:

White had a down year in 2013 but bounced back in a big way this season, catching 109 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns. That's the kind of production Kansas City desperately needs from a wide receiver.

26. Detroit Lions: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Ndamukong Suh continues to make the wrong kind of headlines, his latest stemming from a $70,000 fine due to stepping on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' leg in Week 17, via Dan Hanzus of NFL.com. Suh has a bad reputation, and he's also set to become a free agent in 2015. Detroit may not want him back, and even if it does, he may be too expensive.

That said, we should probably expect the Lions to enter the 2015 draft in need of a defensive tackle. After all, the team finished the 2014 regular season ranked second in total defense, 13th against the pass, first against the run, third in points allowed and eighth in sacks. Suh was responsible for many of those rankings.

If Detroit is to keep its stout defense intact, looking at Danny Shelton with the draft's No. 26 selection would make plenty of sense. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller pegs him as his top-ranked nose tackle:

The Washington product has an enormous frame, and at 6'2", 332 pounds, he's difficult to move, even to the strongest of offensive linemen. That makes him a major gap-closer against the run and will allow the Lions to maintain their prowess in that category. However, Shelton isn't a one-trick pony.

This defensive tackle is extremely strong and possesses a devastating bull rush that often allows him to push offensive linemen into the backfield, stuffing running backs and sacking quarterbacks on a regular basis. In 2014, Shelton accumulated 89 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks, according to CFBStats.com. Those are monster numbers for his position.