
NFL Draft 2015: Full Order and Breakdown of Top Options for No. 1 Overall Pick
The 2015 NFL draft's first-round order will be complete following Sunday's Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
There won't be much focus on those two clubs and what their draft plans are, but the top of the draft will certainly garner plenty of attention. Tampa Bay holds the No. 1 overall pick and has a franchise-defining decision to make on April 30.
Missing on a hopeful franchise quarterback with such a high draft choice isn't quite as costly in this era of rookie contracts, but the rebuilding Buccaneers can't afford to miss on a future superstar.
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Check out the latest order for the first round below, along with a breakdown of the likeliest candidates to be the first player off the board.
| 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 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 28 | Denver Broncos |
| 29 | Indianapolis Colts |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers |
| 31 | New England Patriots |
| 32 | Seattle Seahawks |
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

The arm strength is there for Mariota to make all the necessary NFL throws. What many evaluators are concerned about is whether he can throw with accuracy before receivers get out of their breaks, especially on downfield throws.
But Mariota does not have the same character red flags as Florida State QB Jameis Winston, and he has superior athleticism, speed and improvisational skills to be a dual threat at the professional level.
Tampa Bay has revamped its offensive staff, hiring former Atlanta coordinator Dirk Koetter to call the plays. Koetter's uptempo style certainly plays into the type of pace Mariota played at Oregon.
Bucs All-Pro safety Dashon Goldson recently told Charissa Thompson in a Fox Sports 1 interview that he prefers the team to take Mariota on draft day.
"He's very careful with the football. He can take care of the football…He's very mobile. He's a winner," Goldson told Thompson about Mariota.
Electing not to participate in the Senior Bowl was a great opportunity missed for Mariota to prove something to scouts and critics of his inability to pick up pro-style concepts. At least he still has the NFL Scouting Combine to show off his unique running ability.
If the Buccaneers want to compete in the NFC South, they have to improve under center. Josh McCown is a career backup, and Mike Glennon hasn't shown enough to suggest he's a long-term answer.
Mariota's ceiling is higher than Winston's, which is another reason to choose him despite the risk of a slower learning curve in grasping the playbook.
Leonard Williams, DL, USC
It's conceivable that the Bucs brass decides that Mariota isn't a surefire star and Winston's off-field issues aren't worth gambling on. That leaves a nice consolation in Williams, who might be the best player in the 2015 class.
ESPN Insider and CBSSports.com have Williams ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the upcoming draft. There is good reason for that, because the 6'5", 300-pound Williams can play anywhere on the defensive line and be a nightmare to block.
Bleacher Report draft guru Matt Miller made quite a gaudy pro-player comparison in providing his analysis on Williams:
Williams has tremendous quickness for his size and gets off the ball so fast, but he also uses immense strength on bull rushes. That makes him a dynamic pass-rusher and run-stuffer—a can't-miss cornerstone who should make many multiple Pro Bowl rosters.
The fit in Tampa Bay is tantalizing. Pairing Williams with Gerald McCoy at defensive tackle in a 4-3 alignment, or even sliding Williams to defensive end, would make the Bucs front seven a force to be reckoned with.
In a division that features opposing QBs like Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Drew Brees—with the former two sporting shaky offensive lines—it's vital to rush the passer. That's something Williams could help do right away as a rookie, fully justifying the Bucs' decision to pass on a quarterback.
Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
Few can deny how effective Winston was in his two years as Seminoles starter. He won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman and led FSU to a national championship.
A turnover-plagued sophomore campaign still saw Winston thrive in clutch situations and execute big plays in an intricate, pro-style offense.
Pre-draft interviews will be critical for Winston, when he'll have to explain his troubled past and demonstrate that he has the maturity to be the face of an NFL franchise. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has shown how polarizing Winston can be in his ongoing evaluations:
NFL Network scouting expert Daniel Jeremiah offered his take on the Bucs' potential Winston vs. Mariota dilemma on Wednesday, favoring the Florida State star, via NFL.com's Chase Goodbread:
"I like Jameis Winston over Marcus Mariota from what I've studied on tape. You're looking at someone who operated pretty much an NFL system, you're looking at someone who can make all the NFL throws, can make those tight window throws, you see him move around within the pocket and do things you have to do at the next level. I actually think Jameis Winston is more like Ben Roethlisberger than Blake Bortles was. I'm high on him on the field. Off the field, you have a lot of stuff to sort through and teams have time to do that.
"
Should he check out fine with regard to the multiple, discouraging off-field offenses, Winston could very well be the first overall pick.
Winston is by far the most pro-ready passer in a thin quarterback class. The position is so important, so even with the baggage Winston brings, Tampa Bay will be hard-pressed to pass up the in-state product who appears prepared to win right away in the pros.
So while Williams appears to be the safest pick, if the Bucs struggle with McCown or Glennon under center for the next two years and see either Winston or Mariota shine, they'll be kicking themselves.
General manager Jason Licht hit on his first-round pick last year, so that's a good sign for Tampa Bay fans. Mike Evans had a great rookie year and is a huge target opposite big-bodied wideout Vincent Jackson.
Those two friendly targets would supply either Winston or Mariota with a greater margin for error and position them for a smoother transition.
It will be fascinating to see what Licht and Co. do come April 30. The odds and pressing importance of the QB slot suggest the Buccaneers front office will indeed be confronted with a choice between Mariota and Winston, with neither guaranteed to be great.

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