NFL Draft 2015: 1st-Round Order and Predictions for Top Teams to Watch

Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles are the team to watch at the 2015 NFL draft.

The natural thought process seems to be that Kelly and the front office will go all-in on the trade market in order to secure a potential franchise quarterback. It's a smart notion provided the overall weakness of the quarterback class.

Those Eagles are not alone in the intrigue department, though. Other teams may prove to be potential traders. Even more sit at a critical spot in the order that figures to have massive, domino-like effects on the rest of the first round no matter which route they choose to go.

It's early, but the most intriguing teams continue to grab the spotlight.

2015 NFL Draft Order and 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 Teams to Watch

Tennessee Titans 

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The Tennessee Titans hold the key for many franchises on the hunt for a franchise quarterback. 

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers start things off with what figures to be either Florida State's Jameis Winston or Oregon's Marcus Mariota, the Titans have a tall task.

A trade seems unlikely given the state of the roster, but do the Titans take the other quarterback or roll with a top-tier defender? 

Either route makes sense. In seven games last season, Zach Mettenberger completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns to seven interceptions, perhaps showing just enough to convince the staff to build around him.

If Mettenberger is the guy, this means the Titans can roll with USC's Leonard Williams, one of the top defensive line prospects to enter the draft since Ndamukong Suh. Or the team could grab Nebraska's Randy Gregory, a versatile rusher in any scheme.

Either way, the front office would provide a major boost to a unit that generated 39 sacks last season and ranked 31st against the rush.

In the end, though, the Titans are in a rare spot. As interesting as it would be to see the chaos produced by them skipping out on a quarterback, that simply cannot happen—chances to grab a franchise quarterback are almost nonexistent, something the front office should know quite well.

Even if the quarterback does not work out down the line, the position is simply not one to ignore in such a premier slot.

Prediction: Titans select Jameis Winston at No. 2 overall.

Philadelphia Eagles

About those Eagles. 

Kelly is a quarterback genius. He survived with Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez last season. Mariota, an Oregon product and one of the most dominant Heisman Trophy winners in history, is in the 2015 class.

The stars seem to align, right?

It seems a silly rumor, but even Foles has commented on the potential situation. He appeared on Pro Football Talk Live on NBC Radio to speak on the matter, per ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan:

"

I just don’t think about it. It’s definitely going to be brought up. It’s been brought to my attention many times, because that’s just part of it. You’re going to have family members see it; you’re going to be asked about it. I haven’t heard anything otherwise. I expect to be back in Philly and leading my teammates.

"

The allure to Mariota is obvious. A season removed from winning the Heisman by way of 4,454 yards and 42 touchdowns to four interceptions, the Honolulu, Hawaii, native offers plenty of pro upside.

So much so, in fact, that Tony Dungy compares him to quite the NFL superstar, per Sheridan:

"

Tony Dungy compares Marcus Mariota to Aaron Rodgers: PHILADELPHIA -- There are two ways to look at thi... http://t.co/Tn0vecXmEN #Eagles

— Phil Sheridan (@SheridanScribe) January 30, 2015"

Unfortunately for Kelly, the logistics of the move just don't add up.

Mariota may very well come off the board at No. 1 overall. The Eagles do not have the sort of firepower necessary to move up, nor should they want to sell the farm on any prospect at this point.

Mariota is nice, but Kelly's system helps most any quarterback play at an efficient level. Instead, look for the front office to grab a safety, such as Alabama's Landon Collins, who helps turn around a 31st-ranked pass defense from last season.

Prediction: Eagles select Landon Collins at No. 20 overall. 

St. Louis Rams

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The St. Louis Rams, a team that has a reputation as of late for massive draft trades, is in an interesting spot at No. 10 overall. 

Most top picks are a smart combination of need and value. At No. 10 overall, the Rams will be hard-pressed to find a savvy concoction of both.

Quarterback is a need, sure, unless the front office continues to roll with Sam Bradford. As discussed, the top two signal-callers will be long gone, anyway. Offensive line is a need, but any prospect taken at No. 10 would be a reach.

Wide receiver is something to think about, although many may have nightmare flashbacks to the (so far) troubled Tavon Austin experiment.

Barring a trade down, Jeff Fisher seems like the type of coach who will not mind reinforcing his defense.

Aaron Donald is a great story, so further future-proofing the unit with a top corner, such as Trae Waynes, makes sense. In future years, he can pair with E.J. Gaines and others.

While perhaps not the sexy pick fans want, the Rams ranked 19th against the pass last season. There is no such thing as too many quality defensive backs in a pass-happy league, so Waynes is the choice unless the Rams can move down.

Prediction: Rams select Trae Waynes at No. 10 overall.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 8 at 9 p.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.