NFL Draft 2015: Post-Super Bowl Order and Projections for Top Prospects

The stock of any NFL draft hopeful can rise and dip faster than Pete Carroll's reputation.

In the days and months ahead, every interview, private and public workout, the combine and more will help to form an all-encompassing resume for each prospect.

Some are already hard at work thanks to the Senior Bowl. Due to strong performances in Mobile, Alabama, names such as Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis and UCLA linebacker Owamagbe Odighizuwa are already on the rise.

The problem is, one perceived negative or iffy workout can do twice the damage of an expected strong showing—especially for those top-tier prospects who figure to jockey with each other for slots near the top.

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, the first-round order is set in stone.

Stock, however, is not.

2015 NFL Draft Order and First-Round Predictions

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
2	Tennessee Titans	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
4	Oakland Raiders	Leonard Williams, DL, USC
5	Washington Redskins	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
6	New York Jets	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
7	Chicago Bears	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
8	Atlanta Falcons	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
9	New York Giants	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
10	St. Louis Rams	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
11	Minnesota Vikings	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
12	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
13	New Orleans Saints	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
14	Miami Dolphins	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
16	Houston Texans	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
17	San Diego Chargers	A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Arik Armstead, DE/OLB, Oregon
23	Detroit Lions	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
24	Arizona Cardinals	Owamagbe Odighizuwa, OLB, UCLA
25	Carolina Panthers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
26	Baltimore Ravens	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
27	Dallas Cowboys	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
28	Denver Broncos	La'el Collins, OL, LSU
29	Indianapolis Colts	Nate Orchard, DE, Utah
30	Green Bay Packers	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
31	Seattle Seahawks	Carl Davis, DL, Iowa
32	New England Patriots	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota

Top Prospects to Watch 

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

Chris Jackson/Associated Press

Go ahead: Name the top wideout in the 2015 class.

The knee-jerk reaction is to shout Amari Cooper from the nearest skyscraper. It makes sense, too. The Alabama star single-handedly changed head coach Nick Saban's mind about a run-first approach and wound up as one of three Heisman finalists.

Kevin White out of West Virginia, though, has already passed Cooper in the minds of some.

Take NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, for example, who offers a favorable comparison:

At 6'3" and 210 pounds, the physical comparison makes sense. Also, keep in mind that the Plainfield, New Jersey, native is quite the producer, hence his 109 catches for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller also suggests White is right with the top names:

Should White stay the course and perform as expected during workouts and similar events, it seems he is on the fast track to a top-10 slot. 

All it takes is one team with a need to pull the trigger. Bonus points for a team with issues under center, such as the New York Jets, as White's skill set makes him a deep threat and a safety net who can catch passes behind the line of scrimmage and do the rest of the work himself.

Prediction: New York Jets select White at No. 6 overall.

Shane Ray, DE, Missouri

Wade Payne/Associated Press

The value of strong pass-rushers at the NFL level cannot be understated. 

It should come as no shock, then, that the NFL has an eye for Missouri's Shane Ray. The junior broke school records with 14.5 sacks in 2014 and received the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award as a result.

Ray seems to be a consensus top pick in the mock-draft realm right now; however, former pro scout Dan Shonka suggests his physical measurements will decide how he plays at the next level, which will impact his slotting on draft day, per Fox Sports Midwest's Luke Thompson: "If he's 6-3 or a little bit longer and 255 pounds, he could play out on the end. If he's a little bit smaller than that, then I could see teams projecting him as a linebacker."

At Missouri, the Bishop Miege High School product weighed in at 6'3" and 245 pounds.

A spot on the end of a 4-3 alignment makes the most sense for Ray, as he figures to be one of few players in the class with the right skill set to fit that position in a pure sense.

So long as he adds clean bulk and shows great strength, a team in serious need of an end in that alignment, such as the Chicago Bears, will scoop him off the board.

Prediction: Chicago Bears select Ray at No. 7 overall.

Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Corner is as confusing as wideout when it comes to the 2015 class. 

Slowly, Michigan State's Trae Waynes continues to emerge from the shadows as more folks sink their teeth into his film.

At 6'1" and 182 pounds, Waynes certainly passes the eye test. Those who have lined up against him at the collegiate level vouch for his talent, too, as captured by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

The praise continues to spread.

As Jeremiah and Miller detail, Waynes compares well to those who came before him:

Miller's note is especially of interest because he compares Waynes to former Michigan State corner and last year's No. 24 overall pick, Darqueze Dennard.

The difference between Waynes and Dennard? The latter's class made it so that he did not have to contribute right away. Given the way the 2015 class continues to shake up, Waynes will.

He'll be up to task, too, when a team such as the St. Louis Rams comes calling in an effort to reinforce the position for future years.

Prediction: St. Louis Rams select Waynes at No. 10 overall.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.