2015 NFL Mock Draft: Early 1st-Round Predictions for Top Prospects

As the NFL regional combines heat up and the scouting combine creeps closer, NFL fans have little time to rest after New England's triumph over Seattle.

The down period helps, but for those in the NFL realm, no such thing exists. Right now, scouts around the league are busy watching loads of film to rank the top prospects in the land and also uncover the proverbial hidden gems.

Players themselves are doing all they can in the charade that is the path to the draft, where much of their grades will be determined by workouts in shorts.

As things stand right now, mock drafts combine the best of both worlds to help keep those resting observers up to date.

2015 NFL Mock Draft

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

Analyzing Teams With Most Glaring Needs

Just like the actual draft, when it comes time to construct a mock, a careful balance of need and value comes into consideration.

Look at last year at No. 1 overall. Under the guidance of first-year coach Bill O'Brien, most figured the Houston Texans would grab a quarterback. It made sense—new coach wants his new franchise quarterback and it was easily the roster's top need.

So O'Brien and Co. picked defender Jadeveon Clowney. So it goes when value overrides need, but for the following four teams, it is easy to see why need may outweigh any value when they waltz to the podium in the first round.

Cleveland Browns: WR

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

This writes itself. 

Josh Gordon is gone. Regardless of whether the front office and coaching staff wants to roll with Johnny Manziel, wideout is now a major need. The good news is the team still has a pair of first-round picks, so it seems a forgone conclusion one will address the problem.

That said, Ray Farmer is a patient man. The team can use free agency perhaps to lure in a Torrey Smith as well, although Farmer's stance continues to be that the team played its best football with Gordon on the sideline last year, as ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler captures:

"

I’m a believer that this whole notion that you’ve got to have this one guy that’s the silver bullet is a myth. I think it’s like trying to catch werewolves and vampires. They just don’t exist. I’m a big believer in it’s a team sport, and when we combine the requisite skill sets necessary to let guys have success, we have that success. We saw that earlier this year that we were missing certain key components that people thought were high-value targets and assets for us, but we played team football. As a result of that, we were able to have success.

"

Farmer may have trouble passing on some of the first-round talents, though. Alabama's Amari Cooper, one of three Heisman finalists, is a surefire instant contributor.

So too is West Virginia's Kevin White, whose ability to take the top off defenses makes things easier on players underneath. Then there is Louisville's DeVante Parker, who mixes both of the above skill sets in a strong manner.

Look for Parker to be the pick. Free agency may not be a successful endeavor just yet for Cleveland and building through the draft, at least in theory, could produce an Odell Beckham Jr.

Prediction: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville at No. 12.

San Diego Chargers: OG

The San Diego Chargers addressed the offensive line last offseason, but call this year a case of deja vu for fans—they need to do so again.

Philip Rivers is 33 years old. He looks outstanding in the current offense one year removed from being the Comeback Player of the Year, but that will end in a hurry if he takes another 36 sacks, as he did in 2014.

It does not help that the line got little push in the run game, too, ranking 30th overall.

Over at Pro Football Focus, guard Chad Rinehart ranked as the No. 73 guard in the league last year after starting 16 games. Johnnie Troutman started 15 on the right side and ranked No. 77—on a list that graded 78 players.

The point is play on the interior must improve right away. This could mean the front office takes top guard A.J. Cann in the first round, or perhaps takes a tackle such as Stanford's Andrus Peat and kicks him inside.

Regardless, the blueprint to better play on the offensive side of things is obvious.

Prediction: A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina at No. 17 overall. 

Kansas City Chiefs: WR

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid is an offensive guru in many respects, but one of the most oft-quoted nuggets from last season is the fact that none of his receivers caught a touchdown.

As a whole, two of the team's top three receivers turned out to be a tight end and running back:

NAME	REC	TAR	YDS	TD
Travis Kelce	67	87	862	5
Dwayne Bowe	60	96	754	0
Jamaal Charles	40	59	291	5

Some of this concerns quarterback play, but it is still an area the front office needs to address.

As Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star points out, it seems Reid and Co. are already on that path:

Devin Smith may be a first-round target by the time the draft rolls around, but for now, other candidates such as the aforementioned Parker makes sense if he falls.

If not, the Chiefs can settle for someone such as Sammie Coates, a big-play threat who will open things up for others.

If the quarterback class was stronger, this may be a different discussion. Instead, Reid needs to build around the position.

Prediction: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn at No. 18 overall.

Detroit Lions: DT

Too easy.

The Detroit Lions ranked No. 1 against the rush last year and 13th against the pass thanks to a dominant trio of tackles.

Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley are likely headed to free agency. Now, the front office sounds as if it will do everything it takes to bring Suh back, but presuming the market raises the price, that may be a difficult feat to accomplish.

Even C.J. Mosley may be hard to retain given the circumstances. With that in mind, it only makes sense that the Lions address the position in the first round.

Even if one or two of the three major names remain in the Motor City, it certainly does not hurt to have a prospect such as Danny Shelton, Malcom Brown or Carl Davis in the pipelines for future years.

Continuity, after all, is what helps the best teams to stay that way in different regards. Look for the Lions to take the boring approach when they walk to the podium.

Prediction: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.