2015 NFL Mock Draft: Updated Predictions for Top College Prospects

Somewhere in the crop of prospects in the 2015 draft is a group of future NFL superstars. The tricky part for the teams involved is figuring out who those players are when it is their turn to pick.

Will Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston be Pro Bowl quarterbacks one day? Will Amari Cooper or Kevin White be the next game-breaking wide receiver in the league? What about the futures of running backs Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley?

Making the right selections on draft day can be the difference between extended success in the league and finding yourself with a top-10 pick every season. Those stakes certainly apply to a 2015 draft that is loaded with a number of talented prospects.

With that in mind, here is a look at a mock draft for the entire first round.

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

Intriguing First-Round Picks

Chicago Bears: Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida 

There was a time not long ago that the Chicago Bears were led by a lockdown defense that terrorized opposing quarterbacks and kept the team in every game. Not last year’s version.

Chicago finished a miserable 31st in scoring defense, 30th in total defense, 30th against the pass and 17th against the run. Few teams in the NFL need to rebuild the defense across multiple levels more than the Bears, and it starts with the defensive line. Even marquee 2014 addition Jared Allen will be 33 at the start of next season and isn't the player he was in his prime.

Enter Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr.

John Raoux/Associated Press

There is very little Fowler cannot do on the football field, including playing the outside linebacker spot when needed. He has the power to push the line back and make plays against the run, but it is his speed and explosiveness that stand out the most when he attacks quarterbacks off the edge. 

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller certainly thinks Fowler will go early:

Fowler is the perfect fit for a Bears team that needs to put more pressure on the quarterback up front to disrupt the entire offensive attack.

New Orleans Saints: Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has established a reputation as someone who aggressively blitzes, especially off the edge. It probably didn’t sit well with him that his team finished 25th in the league in 2014 with only 34 sacks.

The Saints also finished 28th in the NFL in scoring defense and need plenty of help on that side of the ball.

Look for them to address that in the first round with linebacker and overall playmaker Shaq Thompson from Washington. The Huskies’ superstar quite literally did it all last season as a linebacker, safety, occasional running back and special teams star and won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

It is no surprise, then, that Thompson is something of a freak athlete who could immediately bolster New Orleans’ lackluster pass rush from a season ago. The Saints simply aren’t supposed to finish near the bottom of the league in sacks, and Thompson will help address that as an outside rusher. 

He is also more than capable of dropping back in coverage as someone who played safety at times in college.

Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

There is no other way to put this—the Philadelphia Eagles were atrocious against the pass in 2014.

In fact, they finished 31st in the league against the pass, which was the main reason one of the more productive offenses in the league did not make the playoffs. In a division that features Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr., cornerbacks are incredibly important, and the Eagles were lacking in game-changers at that position.

They will address that by selecting Michigan State’s Trae Waynes in the first round of the draft.

Waynes is such an intriguing NFL prospect because the Spartans often left him on an island with the opposing team’s best player because of his athleticism, length, physicality and ball-hawking skills. He rarely got beat deep and was unafraid to dish out an imposing tackle if needed.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio discussed Waynes’ NFL future, via Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press:

"

There's no question that he'll be an outstanding corner at the next level. The pre-draft numbers project Trae as a likely first-round selection (and) he's ready to transition into the next chapter in his life. We wish him nothing but the best as he pursues his dream of playing in the NFL. (Secondary coach) Harlon Barnett has consistently prepared our defensive backs for the opportunity to take the next step and play in the NFL.

"

Waynes’ physical style should translate over to the NFL, and he has plenty of experience playing in man-to-man situations and not just in a college scheme. He is the most pro-ready cornerback in the draft and someone the Eagles could truly use. 

That pass defense simply has to be better next season.

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