2015 NFL Mock Draft: Top Prospects, Best Fits and Predictions for 1st Round

Fans of all 32 NFL teams can officially dive into the madness that is draft season. The 2015 draft offers every franchise a glimmer of hope, and in the salary-cap era, affords the struggling clubs the chance to swiftly flip their fortunes.

Of course, the other side of the coin can have an even more devastating downside. April 30 marks the beginning of the first round. The higher teams are in the order, the more that's at stake.

That's why it's worth delving into the best prospective top-10 pick fits in an updated mock scenario of Round 1.

Before reading on for that analysis though, let's break down some general predictions.

First, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham will slide in the draft because of off-field issues, yet he may wind up being the best receiver in this talented class. If the Carolina Panthers swoop him up at No. 25 and put him opposite Kelvin Benjamin, what a pair that would be.

A similar fall won't happen to quarterback Jameis Winston, who won't drop from the top two despite his laundry list of red flags away from the white lines. Winston is too pro-ready thanks to his grooming in Florida State's offense, and quarterback is too important of a position for him to take a steep draft-day tumble.

With that latter prediction in mind, check out the 32-pick mock in addition to the three best fits in the top 10.

No. 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	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
5	Washington Redskins	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
6	New York Jets	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
7	Chicago Bears	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
8	Atlanta Falcons	Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida
9	New York Giants	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
10	St. Louis Rams	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
11	Minnesota Vikings	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
12	Cleveland Browns	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
13	New Orleans Saints	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
14	Miami Dolphins	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
16	Houston Texans	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
17	San Diego Chargers	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
20	Philadelphia Eagles	P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
23	Detroit Lions	Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH)
24	Arizona Cardinals	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
25	Carolina Panthers	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
26	Baltimore Ravens	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
27	Dallas Cowboys	Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
28	Denver Broncos	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
29	Indianapolis Colts	Arik Armstead, DE/OLB, Oregon
30	Green Bay Packers	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
31	Seattle Seahawks	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
32	New England Patriots	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State

Best Projected Fits

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

Hints were dropped about the baggage Winston brings with him. This is why the Buccaneers should go with Mariota if they opt to address the quarterback position and not look back.

Mariota will likely struggle at the outset to throw with anticipation and needs to be in a situation where the margin of error is greater. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter likes to deploy an uptempo offense, something that suits Mariota's style of play.

The quick snaps should help keep defenses on their heels, especially thanks to Mariota's threat to run the ball. Also aiding his efforts will be two massive, friendly targets on the outside in Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans.

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt suggested to B/R Radio recently that he feels Mariota to Tampa Bay makes a ton of sense:

It would certainly fill a huge need for the Bucs. Neither career journeyman Josh McCown nor young QB Mike Glennon look like the type of game-changing signal-caller Mariota has the potential to be.

The NFC South features opposing quarterbacks such as Cam Newton in Carolina, New Orleans' Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. It will be hard for Tampa Bay to contend if its most important position continues to pale in comparison.

There are risks with Mariota, but he appears to have the type of work ethic and raw arm talent to capitalize on his extremely high ceiling. If he does fulfill his potential, the No. 1 overall pick won't be too rich for the Bucs to spend on their new face of the franchise.

6. New York Jets: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Choosing between the best three receivers in Parker, Alabama's Amari Cooper and Kevin White from West Virginia is splitting hairs. 

The preference for Parker here is his experience in two diverse offenses. First, he played in a pro-style system with Teddy Bridgewater, posting double-digit touchdown totals in 2012 and 2013. Then Parker was a big-play threat in Bobby Petrino's offense this last year.

Parker is physical after the catch and has a humongous catch radius in addition to multifaceted schematic savvy. What might be most impressive is his knack for high-pointing the ball, which helps explain his 19.9 yards-per-catch average from 2014.

Bleacher Report NFC South Lead Writer Brent Sobleski sees Parker soaring up the big board:

The Jets badly need a sure-handed target like Parker to pair opposite Eric Decker. Both the draft's top QBs should be gone by this point, but Geno Smith showed improvement toward the end of the year and should be given just one more chance.

Smith could count on Parker to go over the middle and trust him with downfield passes to create a greater amount of chunk plays.

Should New York opt to boost its receiving corps with Parker, he'd be the best candidate to thrive right away. One might argue for White based on superior explosiveness and Cooper for more precise route running.

However, Percy Harvin gives the Jets one of the most explosive wideouts in the NFL, and White comes from a simplistic system at West Virginia that might slow his transition to the pros—despite the spread concepts new play-caller Chan Gailey will work in.

White is a junior college transfer, a one-year wonder who needs to prove himself a bit more. While Cooper boasts even better college production than Parker in a tougher conference, he lacks the size Parker boasts.

All of these factors may lead Parker to be the first receiver off the board come April 30, though the Jets or any team in the market for a pass-catcher can't really go wrong with any of them.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The hiring of Dan Quinn as Falcons head coach enhances the odds of Fowler landing in Atlanta. Quinn aided efforts to lure Fowler to Gainesville, where he mentored him as Florida's defensive coordinator in 2012.

Check out what Quinn had to say about his former player, per the Atlanta Journal-Consitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter:

"

Dante Fowler Jr. did a great job. In fact, I know him and his family well. [...] He was one that we thought would develop into a pass rusher. His first year there, he played right away as a true freshmen, which as you guys know just from being down there, it is not the easiest thing to do in that conference playing as a true freshmen.

"

Well, fancy that. Atlanta ranked tied for 30th with just 22 sacks this last year, per ESPN.com. Both Kroy Biermann and Osi Umenyiora—the hardest pass-rushers mentioned in tandem to spell in recent memory—are unrestricted free agents.

Fowler has the versatility to play either linebacker or defensive end if need be. He would likely play the latter based on need, provided Quinn still uses the "Leo" position. It would make the most of Fowler's talents, since he'd essentially play in both the aforementioned spots depending on down and distance.

The familiarity factor and Fowler's experience against SEC fronts will help his transition. ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure notes how his draft expert colleagues in Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay seem to think Fowler is destined to be a Falcon:

Atlanta badly needs a playmaker on defense for Quinn to work with. It's hard to imagine a better fit in Fowler to go with a promising secondary headlined by rising young star cornerback Desmond Trufant.

Falcons fans should be excited for 2015 and beyond under this new coaching staff, and if they aren't, this writer will be for them.

The zone-blocking running schemes brought in by Kyle Shanahan should give life to Atlanta's anemic ground game. Shanahan has also never worked with a better overall quarterback than Matt Ryan, who has Julio Jones and Roddy White at his disposal to boot.

If Quinn can just take care of his known phase of expertise, the Falcons ought to be back on track quite soon. Carolina was the first team ever to repeat as NFC South champions, so the divisional turnover and uncertain status of all clubs in that cluster should help the transition into the Quinn era.