NFL Mock Draft 2015: Opening-Round Projections and Prospects to Watch at Combine

The NFL Scouting Combine is the perfect example of how the league continues to change. 

Just a few years ago, the spectacle in Indianapolis was nothing more than a footnote on the offseason as a whole.

Now it's a centerpiece.

Think about it—the combine naturally draws a crossover audience of collegiate and NFL fans. This audience gravitates toward the flashy stuff—offensive skill players and freakish pass rushers, two of the most important things in the NFL as it continues to evolve into an offensive-minded game.

Now consider the ripple effect the growing popularity has on players. The pressure has always been immense considering it is the biggest job interview of their lives. Now more than ever, things are on a global platter. No pressure, right?

Suffice it to say, mock drafts are about to change by the hour. Below is the latest.

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	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
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	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
16	Houston Texans	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
17	San Diego Chargers	A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
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	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
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 Prospects to Watch

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

Look how quickly the draft process builds up and then tears down even the top-tier prospects.

Alabama's Amari Cooper faces a serious task at the scouting combine. He's one of three Heisman finalists and the player who caused Nick Saban to overhaul his run-first ways, leading to 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns last year alone.

Great, but few prospects are as polarizing at this point.

Some love Cooper's proven track record, his 6'1", 210-pound frame, his smooth routes and sure hands. Others think he is too small, not explosive and not the top wideout on the board.

Rotoworld's Josh Norris explains the situation best:

On one hand, the polarizing nature of Cooper's stock makes sense. The class is deep. West Virginia's Kevin White is as explosive as it gets while Louisville's DeVante Parker blends everything together well. A frame similar to Calvin Johnson may place Dorial Green-Beckham in the first-round conversation, too.

The combine will say much about Cooper. It is the one place where Cooper will stand among his peers in a controlled environment and either shine or shrink.

Of course, the result changes the entire draft as most know it.

Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami

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Just call 2015 what it is—a major down year for quarterbacks and offensive tackles. 

While a very fair assessment, this leaves the door open for any number of names to sneak into the first-round with a strong performance at the combine.

Look at Miami's Ereck Flowers.

When most think about tackles this year, Iowa's Brandon Scherff, Stanford's Andrus Peat and LSU's La'el Collins come to mind. This is why Mel Kiper's recent mock draft took so many by surprise, because Flowers popped up as the No. 16 overall pick to the Houston Texans:

"

Flowers has emerged as a potential top-12 pick and a challenge to some of the more well-known tackles available in this draft -- and depending on free agency, it's a possibility the Texans will be looking for a rookie to come in and take over starting duties at right tackle. Flowers plays with an edge, is a coachable kid who could get better quickly, and could become an elite pass protector if he can be better with his hand placement.

"

So what's the deal?

Flowers is a mammoth of a tackle at 6'6" and 324 pounds. Sometimes it simply takes a while for the scouting world to catch up to all of the top names, which Flowers has become thanks to his great functional strength and hand usage to keep rushers at bay.

Most importantly, a weak class means upside comes into play more than usual. With Flowers, the upshot is an All-Pro left tackle who holds down the blindside for years.

He'll just need to show glimpses of that in Indianapolis to justify the recent hype.

Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida

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Fade or shine is the situation surrounding Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., too.

At 6'3" and 277 pounds, Fowler seems to have the build of a scheme-versatile player, which maximizes the amount of teams that will show a serious interest in Indianapolis and beyond.

He is, too, having played on the edge of a four-man front, on the interior and even standing up as a linebacker. As Kiper notes while mocking him No. 13 overall to the New Orleans Saints, Fowler is perhaps as well-rounded as it gets:

"Fowler isn't dominant in any one area; he's a good pass-rusher, not a great one, and an effective run defender, but not a destroyer in that area, either. But he also doesn't come in with a clear weakness."

Teams will love this; but at the same time, the class is very deep when it comes to rushers. First-round targets such as Clemson's Vic Beasley, Washington's Shaq Thompson, Missouri's Shane Ray and Kentucky's Alvin Dupree, among many others, will jockey for position with Fowler in the coming months.

Sometimes being a jack of all trades can backfire for a player such as Fowler. He can stand up and rush, but a 3-4 team may prefer someone who specializes in that area. Ditto for a team in need of a 4-3 end.

Really, that is why a team such as the Saints makes so much sense, as Rob Ryan's amoeba look that would use Fowler in all spots at one point or another is a perfect match.

All Fowler needs to do is uphold his end of the bargain at the combine.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.