2015 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions for Intriguing Prospects

With apologies to March Madness, the NBA playoffs, the Stanley Cup playoffs and the start of spring training, February through April is all about the NFL draft.

Between the NFL combine, college scouting and individual workouts, it is almost ridiculous how much coverage the draft gets every season. This year will be no different, especially with two potential franchise-changing quarterbacks available, a number of elite wide receiver prospects and plenty of linemen on both sides of the ball.

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	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
12	Cleveland Browns	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
13	New Orleans Saints	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
14	Miami Dolphins	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
15	San Francisco 49ers	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
16	Houston Texans	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
17	San Diego Chargers	Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
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	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
31	Seattle Seahawks	Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan
32	New England Patriots	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma

Intriguing First-Round Picks

No. 8 Atlanta Falcons: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Sometimes stats don’t tell the whole story, but they certainly do for the Atlanta Falcons' 2014 defense.

They finished dead last in total yards allowed, 27th in scoring defense, dead last against the pass, 21st against the run and 19th in total sacks. Considering how wide open the entire watered-down NFC South was last season, even passable, mediocre defense likely would have gotten the Falcons into the playoffs.

Generating a consistent pass rush would at least mask a lot of the issues in the secondary because it would force the opposing quarterback to throw the ball away quickly.

Enter Shane Ray.

John Raoux/Associated Press

The first thing that jumps out about Ray is his extraordinary speed. He runs like an offensive skill player, which is ridiculous considering he is a pass-rushing defensive end. All it takes is one step, which he often gets with an explosion at the snap, and he can easily blow past tackles to get to the quarterback. 

Tod Palmer of The Kansas City Star and Josina Anderson of ESPN both provided some analysis on Ray’s speed:

That speed also helps in run pursuit, which is good news for a Falcons squad that struggled stopping opposing running backs as well.

No. 21 Cincinnati Bengals: Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky

Garry Jones/Associated Press

The Cincinnati Bengals were slightly better than the Falcons on defense last year, but the stats weren’t that different. They were 22nd in total defense, 20th against the pass, 20th against the run and an abysmal 30th in the league in total sacks.

There is a glaring need for a more consistent pass rush considering getting to the quarterback was the team’s biggest weakness from a season ago.

Just like the Falcons, generating a consistent pass rush would also considerably help the secondary. The Bengals just drafted cornerback Darqueze Dennard from Michigan State last season and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick from Alabama three seasons ago, and adding another young defender like pass-rusher Alvin Dupree would help the rebuilding process.

Dupree doesn’t have the explosive speed that Ray does, but he brings very impressive technique to the table when rushing the passer and still has solid open-field explosiveness when pursuing the quarterback or running back.

He also demonstrated that he was capable of dropping back in coverage at times last year, and that versatility will be key at the next level.

No. 26 Baltimore Ravens: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The Baltimore Ravens finished an impressive eighth in the league in rushing yards last season, but that is a bit misleading because Justin Forsett did the heavy lifting with 1,266 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground on a one-year deal.

For his part, Forsett wants to stay in Baltimore, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com: "That is the plan, they gave me my shot, they trusted me and believed in me enough to give me that shot so I'd like to stay.”

Even if he did come back, Forsett will be 30 years old in October, which is the magic number for the running back position. The Ravens could use an option there for the future.

Picking a running back in the first round may be taboo in today’s NFL, but Melvin Gordon is special. He has the size and speed combination that immediately translates to the next level. Gordon finished with an astounding 2,587 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground last season and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

He showed incredible bursts through the holes and helped carry the Wisconsin Badgers to a meaningful bowl victory over Auburn from the SEC. 

It is not much of a stretch to see him as the running back of the future in Baltimore.

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