NFL Mock Draft 2015: First-Round Projections for Top 32 Prospects

So what if there are still 83 days from now until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially on the clock with the No. 1 selection in the 2015 NFL draft?

It's always time for a good mock.

With the 2014 NFL season a thing of the past—well, maybe not entirely for Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll—it's time for the league's 32 teams to begin prepping for the draft. There is an abundance of talent among the top 32 prospects in the nation, and every team should be able to find a player who fits its specific needs in Round 1.

With a solid two-plus months until the Bucs are on the clock, expect the outlook of Round 1 to change dozens of times. As things stand today, this is what you can expect the opening round to look like.

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

Analyzing Best First-Round Wide Receivers

4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

A Heisman Trophy finalist, Amari Cooper is deserving of top-five consideration. He was phenomenal for Alabama in his junior season, grabbing 124 passes for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns. Despite leaving Alabama a year early, Cooper finished his career with the Crimson Tide with two 1,000-yard seasons and 31 total touchdowns.

Naturally, Cooper is the ideal fit for an Oakland Raiders team that lacks a true weapon on offense. James Jones and Mychal Rivera were first-year quarterback Derek Carr's favorite options last season. That will quickly change with Cooper in the offense.

Carr showed enough promise last year to warrant the Raiders front office making an attempt at building around him. A combination of a big arm like Carr and a big-play receiver like Cooper could set the league on fire.

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks thinks he has the makings of a stalwart wideout for an NFL offense: "Cooper is a classic WR1 with speed, burst and ball skills to dominate on the perimeter."

Young quarterbacks often find it difficult to develop further without an explosive option in the passing game. Carr needs someone he can rely on to turn nothing into something, therefore giving him a better chance of success.

Oakland needs a ton of help offensively. Maurice Jones-Drew is not an NFL starter at running back anymore, and not even Cooper can do it alone. The Raiders need to address offensive needs this offseason in an effort to give Carr every opportunity to succeed.

12. Cleveland Browns: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville

There wasn't an overwhelming need for a wide receiver in Cleveland at the close of January. Things have changed, though, as this tweet from ESPN's Adam Schefter indicates that the Browns are in a tough situation:

With Josh Gordon suspended for a year, that leaves Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins as the top wide receivers on the team. That won't cut it. Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel or even somebody else won't be able to win in Cleveland without someone who can go get the football in the air.

Luckily, the No. 12 pick gives the organization an opportunity to take Louisville product DeVante Parker.

At 6'3" and 209 pounds, Parker can be used in a variety of ways. He has enough speed to outrun defensive backs, but his size causes mismatches in traffic that quarterbacks love taking advantage of. He's an end-zone threat given his size, hands and ability to grab the ball at its catch point. He doesn't wait for the ball to get to him. He goes to get it himself.

Parker is a step below Cooper, but there's no denying his potential at the NFL level. There aren't many cornerbacks his size in the league right now, which will give him the opportunity to jump and use his height to his advantage.

Parker is roughly two inches shorter than Kelvin Benjamin, but he should have a similar impact in his rookie season.

Cleveland may not be able to get Parker, though, as the Minnesota Vikings own the No. 11 pick and could seek to pair Teddy Bridgewater with his former teammate at Louisville.

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

Kevin White falls to the Kansas City Chiefs in this iteration of Round 1, but that could change in a hurry. There's already quite a bit of debate surrounding who the No. 1 wide receiver off the board will be in April.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller says that both White and Cooper are comparable in talent:

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has a different opinion:

White is an unbelievable talent. At 6'3", 210 pounds, he has similar physical skills to Parker. It's still a bit cloudy as to whether either is more NFL-ready than Cooper, but it's obvious that White has a future.

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen speaks highly of his skills, via SI.com's Ben Glicksman: "Of all the [receivers] I’ve coached—it’s crazy to say—he may be more suited for the NFL than any of ’em."

Oakland is the team most in need of wide receiver help. The Chiefs come in a close second. Alex Smith didn't hook up with one of his wideouts for a single touchdown last season, instead leaning on Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce to do the heavy lifting in the red zone.

It's difficult for a team to enjoy a high level of success without consistent performers in the passing game. It's one of many explanations as to why the Chiefs struggled at times during the season.

White might jump into the top 10 in a few weeks' time—heck, maybe even the top five. But, for now, he'll probably land at No. 18.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn