2015 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for Top Prospects in Class Ahead of Combine

Don't tell this to Washington owner Daniel Snyder, but the NFL draft is the most important step in constructing a championship contender.

It takes an exorbitant amount of time and a dash of luck, but the draft builds the foundation for title contention.

Look at the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson turned out alright. Richard Sherman, too. Complement that with savvy free-agent adds such as Cliff Avril, and a year-to-year contender was born.

Despite an alleged down draft class such as 2015—quarterbacks, offensive line, wideouts and more are considered weak this year—teams need to knock each pick out of the park.

The path starts now, as the scouting combine looms large on the calendar.

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

Highlighting First Round's Most Unpredictable Teams

Snyder's team is pretty unpredictable on draft day.

Then again, a few teams will walk to the podium and perhaps confuse all onlookers with a strange pick. For some, such as New England's Bill Belichick, this is a regular occurrence.

The teams that may pull off a surprise on draft day are as follows.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have somewhat of an unpredictable reputation in the first round over the course of the past few years.

Jonathan Cooper, an offensive guard, was a bit strange at the time in 2013. Safety Deone Bucannon last year was a bit of a shocker, too.

The thing is, coach Bruce Arians and the front office can go any number of ways at No. 24.

Perhaps the team addresses corner with someone such as LSU's Jalen Collins. Perhaps a running back is in order, with Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon likely available at the slot.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Most intriguing, though, is the propensity for the Cardinals to take a quarterback. It's really not as ridiculous as it seems—Carson Palmer is on the way back from a serious injury, and the team cannot turn to Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley or Logan Thomas.

A quarterback guru such as Arians may fall in love with a player such as UCLA's Brett Hundley and want to groom him for the future. Franchises know by now not to pass on quarterbacks they like simply because of a value chart.

In the end, Arizona might look to upgrade a rush that generated just 35 sacks in 2014. UCLA linebacker Owamagbe Odighizuwa is explosive and fits the scheme.

The quarterback landscape may look much different by the time the draft rolls around, but for now, another versatile piece to a strong defense is a smooth move.

Prediction: Arizona selects Owamagbe Odighizuwa.

Cincinnati Bengals

Normally, the Cincinnati Bengals are easy to read before they walk to the podium.

A front office with one of the deepest rosters in the league can afford to future-proof itself a bit, hence quarterbacks in two of the last three years and a tight end sandwiched in between.

Now things are very different, though, as four consecutive early exits from the postseason means the championship window continues to close and areas of need become more and more apparent.

Heck, even the chatter around the team seems different this time around, as comments by coach Marvin Lewis to Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com illustrate:

"

It's a different feel than where we have been. It's not a status quo. There has not been a status quo conversation or 'Oh, we'll be OK, we'll just get these guys back.' No, no, no, that's bull. We got to be better.

"

In the first round, the Bengals could grab a rusher to help replace Michael Johnson, who left last offseason. Kentucky's Alvin Dupree comes to mind if he falls. The team could grab an offensive tackle such as Pittsburgh's T.J. Clemmings to help prepare for Andrew Whitworth's eventual retirement. Really, the Bengals could even grab another corner.

The possibilities are endless, but for now it seems the team needs to hit its biggest need on the head—defensive tackle. Geno Atkins struggled last season, and Domata Peko is no longer starter material.

With those factors in mind, it only makes sense for Lewis and Co. to grab a starter in Malcom Brown and use Peko on a rotational basis.

Prediction: Cincinnati selects Malcom Brown.

New England Patriots

Nobody is more unpredictable than Belichick. 

In 2012, he doubled down on Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower before taking a gamble on injured Dominique Easley (the team didn't have a first-round pick in 2013).

This year, it is impossible to know what the mad genius thinks about the draft after winning the Super Bowl.

Hannah Foslien/Associated Press

It couldn't hurt to trade down and stockpile more picks. The more the merrier to prevent mistakes. Grabbing a corner would be smart in case things don't work out long term with Darrelle Revis.

Really, though, one has to think that the pick will be on the offensive side of things. Perhaps the team pulls a shocker and takes a running back, although the last time Belichick did that came in 2006 with Laurence Maroney.

More realistic is another versatile receiving threat for Tom Brady. There are a ton to choose from, but Minnesota's Maxx Williams continues to elevate his stock the more folks watch his film and he works out in front of scouts.

Williams is an ideal complement to Rob Gronkowski and yet another weapon opposing defenses must account for on every down. That's the last thing the rest of the NFL wants, so it's probably close to what Belichick is thinking right now.

Prediction: New England selects Maxx Williams.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 11 at 9 p.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.