NFL Draft 2015: Round 1 Mock Draft Projections Before Super Bowl Sunday

For the 30 NFL teams not fortunate enough to have a game on their schedule this weekend, their attention turns to reloading during the 2015 NFL draft.

It's the one time of the year that favors the league's losers. As the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks wait hours before getting their turn, the playoff absentees get a crack at potential superstars. Even if the top talent pool isn't as deep as last year, Round 1 offers a bevvy of promise.

After floundering all season, three teams at the top of the board are eyeing the nation's top two quarterbacks. The Tampa Bay Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets all need change under center, but a distinct dropoff after Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston means one must direct their focus elsewhere.

Will the Jets have to enact Plan B, or will one of the teams starting the draft revert from the norm and wait on a quarterback? Now that the NFL is preparing to sing the season's swan song, everyone can feel less guilty diving into the offseason's sea of mock drafts. 

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

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

The tides are beginning to turn on Mariota, with more and more scouts switching over to Team Winston. Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com both believe Tampa Bay will grab Florida State's polarizing passer.

ESPN's Adam Schefter, however, indicated that Tampa Bay's interest remains with the latest Heisman Trophy winner.

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Many NFL executives and scouts believe Florida State's Jameis Winston is the best pro quarterback prospect in this draft. Of course, teams still have three months to dig into Winston's past and see what they can uncover. Plus, there's a real sense that Tampa Bay has its sights set on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. So for now, Mariota shapes up as the most likely No. 1 pick. But there are still three months of combine work, pro days, interviews and investigations to go.

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How quickly everyone forgets. With college football's 2014 season in the books, Mariota's 10.01 passing yards per attempt, 58 total touchdowns and four interceptions are flushed down the toilet, right along with Winston's 18 picks and inconsistent output all year.

Perhaps Winston is more pro ready, but Mariota boasts the higher ceiling while inducing far fewer headaches than his foe. It's possible everyone makes the exact same mistake as last year with Teddy Bridgewater, but don't expect the bandwagon to derail Mariota's draft positioning.

2. Tennessee Titans: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State

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With two viable choices at contrasting areas of need, the Titans will dictate the first-round's course. Behind door No. 1 resides a potential franchise quarterback in Winston, but pass-rushing monster Leonard Williams is ready to ravage through door No. 2.

The header sort of gives it away, doesn't it? After playing musical chairs at quarterback all season, the Titans take the plunge on Winston.

Zach Mettenberger showed some promise during a seven-game trial, compiling 7.89 passing yards per attempt. Yet he also completed just 59.8 percent of his passes with seven interceptions and four fumbles, so the Titans aren't likely to bypass a long-term fix in favor of last year's sixth-round selection.

At 6'4" and 230 pounds, Winston fits the typical mold of an NFL quarterback better than Mariota. He also brandishes a strong arm and experience running a pro-style offense. That, along with Florida State's 27-1 record with him taking snaps, will air on a repeating loop for three more months.

Along with Brooks and Jeremiah, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller supports Winston as the class' No. 1 prospect.

Last year, Blake Bortles rode Ben Roethlisberger comparisons to the No. 3 pick while Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel waited until the end of Round 1. Body type matters way more than it should, so only character issues will cause Winston to fall past Tennessee.

Although teams are becoming more cognizant of off-field issues, talent ultimately wins out.

6. New York Jets: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

If Tampa Bay or Tennessee pounces on Williams instead, Winston or Mariota would then fall to the Jets at pick No. 6. This mock doesn't project that outcome, which makes Amari Cooper the next-best alternative for Gang Green.

He's also far from a certainty to stick around past the top five. The Alabama wide receiver would give Derek Carr an immense target for the Oakland Raiders, but their No. 21 defense needs help as well. Randy Gregory, Shane Ray and Dante Fowler Jr. are all options Oakland should also consider on that end.

As for the Jets, Geno Smith became the scapegoat for a non-existent passing offense. Eric Decker predictably took a step down away from Peyton Manning, and gambling on Percy Harvin provided minimal dividends.

Cooper, who collected an SEC-record 124 catches during his junior season, provides a long-term solution for New York's league-worst passing defense. He has vaulted ahead of this year's fellow incoming wideouts, but Footballguys.com's Sigmund Bloom is among skeptics questioning that status.

Like Mariota, the fear is that Cooper benefited from his surroundings, padding his stats under Lane Kiffin's scheme. Considering the Crimson Tide still rushed 55.7 percent of the time, his production should not get discounted.

They could go the safer rout and take offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, but the headline-hungry Jets rarely settle for the low-risk, low-reward choice. Instead, they roll the dice on a potential high-impact receiver.