NFL Mock Draft 2015: Early Offseason Projections for 1st-Round Prospects

In the post-Super Bowl hangover period, NFL news is often scarce. Free agency doesn't start until March, contract discussions are either held behind closed doors or held to a minimum, and there are no pro days or draft combine numbers to chew over.

At this time, the football fan's mind naturally drifts toward the draft, the next big date on the NFL calendar. There is, at least, plenty of college football data to pore over, with scouts and observer's takes both hot and cold, new and old to ponder.

The first-round order is set for now, and every team but one is looking to change its outcome next season. The needs are obvious at this point, so its fair to put an early mock draft on the table.

Let's take a look at an early-offseason projection of the 2015 NFL draft's first round.

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

Analyzing Top Wide Receivers

The wide receiver class of 2014 was, in a word, ridiculous. Rookie pass-catchers are supposed to struggle in their first year due to a combination of factors that includes highly complex playbooks, expanded route trees (especially for those coming from spread offenses) and the elite athletic opposition.

Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin and many more first-year wideouts turned conventional wisdom on its head on their way to instant success. This is a class that rivals that of 1996.

Player	Round	Pick (Overall)	Team	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Odell Beckham Jr.	1	12	NYG	91	1,305	14.3	12
Jarvis Landry	2	63	MIA	84	758	9.0	5
Kelvin Benjamin	1	28	CAR	73	1,008	13.8	9
Mike Evans	1	7	TB	68	1,051	15.5	12
Jordan Matthews	2	42	PHI	67	872	13.0	8
Sammy Watkins	1	4	BUF	65	982	15.1	6
Brandin Cooks	1	20	NO	53	550	10.4	3
Allen Hurns	Undrafted	N/A	JAX	51	677	13.3	6
John Brown	3	91	AZ	48	696	14.5	5
Allen Robinson	2	61	JAX	48	548	11.4	2

Naturally, those teams that missed out on one of the many rookie phenoms out wide must be wondering: Will the 2015 crop measure up?

It seems this past season's rookies have set the bar impossibly high, but it doesn't hurt to take a look at a few of the top wide receivers in the 2015 draft who could very well set the league aflame from day one.


No. 4, Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, Alabama

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Amari Cooper may not be as physically imposing as prospects like Kevin White, Devin Funchess or Dorial Green-Beckham, but the Alabama stud has the stats and accolades to back up his status as one of the top wide receivers in the draft. 

Cooper was simply too good for defenses to ignore in 2014. Opposing defenses game-planned for Cooper all they could last season, yet he still put up eye-popping numbers. 

G	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
14	124	1,727	13.9	16

In fact, the Florida native was essentially too good for his own quarterback, Blake Sims, to ignore this season. At times, it felt like Sims chucked it Cooper's way on nearly every dropback. That may sound like a far-fetched game, but the stats show it wasn't too far from the truth.

Sims and backup Jake Coker combined to complete 290 passes in 2014. Cooper caught 42.8 percent of those passes. The next most prolific receiver on the Crimson Tide was DeAndrew White, who reeled in a relatively paltry 40 catches that season.

The data is dazzling, but not everyone is enamored with the junior draftee.

Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar came up with an interesting comparison for Cooper: 

The Indianapolis Colts selected Moncrief with the 90th-overall choice in the 2014 draft, and the Ole Miss product went on to pick up 444 yards and 3 touchdowns on 32 catches, with two 100-yard receiving performances thrown into the mix. 

The Oakland Raiders, or any other team that drafts Cooper, will be expecting far greater production from the 'Bama man as a rookie. Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant compared him favorably to the 2014 No. 4 pick.

"He's probably the most explosive receiver I've seen in college besides Sammy Watkins," Grant said in late January, per AL.com's Michael Casagrande. "Great ball catcher, great speed. ... He gets out of his breaks quick, he snaps his head around. He's a great player."

While Cooper does compare physically to Moncrief, he possesses the aforementioned explosiveness and is a far more polished route-runner. It's tough to find a knock against Cooper, especially since he has experience in a pro-style offense. His crisp routes, strong hands and excellent speed should allow him to plug in right away as a No. 2 wideout or perhaps a No. 1 should he go to a talent-bereft team like Oakland.

No. 11, Minnesota Vikings: Kevin White, West Virginia

Cooper's production in 2014 was off the charts, but White's numbers weren't too far behind, and he may very well be hot on Cooper's heels in the upcoming draft.

The West Virginia standout snagged 109 receptions for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior in 2014.

Standing at a robust 6'3" and 210, White displayed top-level strength for the wide receiver position, winning many a jump ball as a Mountaineer. His highlight-reel catches show a player with excellent body control, hands and timing—all traits that can make him a threat in the NFL right away.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller believes White might even be better than Cooper and go to the Raiders at No. 4 overall:

"

Amari Cooper held the top wide receiver spot all season, but the more I dig into the wideouts' film and upside, it's Kevin White who comes out on top as the best prospect in this class. White has better size (6'3", 210 lbs) and comparable speed and vision, and he moves in the open field to be a threat after the catch. He has the length and body to be a threat in the red zone.

"

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater hasn't proved to be terribly accurate as a pro signal-caller, although this should improve with time. Adding a stellar athlete like White to pick out the errant throw and come away with the 50-50 balls would make quite a nice security blanket for the developing quarterback.


No. 12, Cleveland Browns: DeVante Parker, Louisville

Garry Jones/Associated Press

If White or any other Vikings wideout needs tips on how to jell with Bridgewater, perhaps they can ask his former running mate at Louisville, DeVante Parker, a thing or two. The senior wideout was an excellent deep threat for Bridgewater when both players were in Louisville. Now, Parker has a chance to provide another lucky quarterback with a game-breaking downfield option.

Parker missed the Cardinals' first seven games of the 2014 season with a broken foot, but the injury had no bearing on his production once he stepped back onto the gridiron. 

In his first game back in 2014, Parker reeled in nine catches for 132 yards in a 30-18 win over North Carolina State. He would go on to finish the season with 43 catches for 855 yards and five scores in just six games.

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino is acutely aware of the huge crater Parker leaves in terms of production, per Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal:

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly admits to being impressed with the Cardinals product:

Parker is a similar wideout to White in that they are both excellent at fighting for the tough catches and almost exactly the same size (Parker is listed at 6'3" and 209 pounds). For this reason, one could easily see the Vikings opting for Parker over White simply because of the Bridgewater connection, even though the latter is free of the injury concerns that come with drafting Parker.

Assuming he is fit as a fiddle heading into the draft, look for Parker to challenge both Cooper and White as the top wideout in this year's draft.