NFL Mock Draft 2015: Updated Projections for 1st-Round Prospects

The ongoing NFL Scouting Combine and free agency provide plenty of time for teams to evaluate and upgrade their roster in other ways prior to the 2015 draft. As the April 30 commencement date gets closer, it will be easier to determine how teams might use their first-round picks.

A lot of the scouting process for the top prospects has already taken place, though. Interviews and combine drills are more of a function to confirm the stories the game tape tells.

Check out an updated mock scenario for the top 32 picks, along with overall analysis for the first round.

No. Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams, DL, USC
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
4	Oakland Raiders	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
5	Washington Redskins	Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7	Chicago Bears	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
10	St. Louis Rams	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
11	Minnesota Vikings	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
13	New Orleans Saints	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
14	Miami Dolphins	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
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	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
23	Detroit Lions	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
24	Arizona Cardinals	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (Florida)
25	Carolina Panthers	Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
26	Baltimore Ravens	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
27	Dallas Cowboys	Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH)
28	Denver Broncos	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
29	Indianapolis Colts	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
30	Green Bay Packers	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
31	Seattle Seahawks	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
32	New England Patriots	Carl Davis, DT, Iowa

2015 NFL Draft Analysis

USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams is widely considered the best prospect on the board. This fact should keep him in the top two, unless both Tampa Bay and Tennessee unexpectedly go with quarterbacks.

Jameis Winston can throw with anticipation and is from a pro-style offense at Florida State, so as long as his off-field issues are behind him, he ought to be the top pick in the draft.

Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith weighed in on Tampa Bay's only incumbent QB on the roster in Mike Glennon, which Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com poked a bit of fun at:

Oregon's reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota, comes from a spread system but is perceived to have better character. That could go a long way, depending on the interview process, but Mariota is not the prototypical passer Winston is.

Will a running back be drafted in the first round for the first time since 2012? The answer to this question should be "yes" in the form of Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon.

Bleacher Report expert Matt Miller has some inside information that should help Gordon's cause when he tips the scales at the NFL Scouting Combine:

Chris Trapasso of NFL.com believes Gordon has the tools to be an every-down NFL back:

Gordon has elite speed and mind-boggling college production to fortify his case as a top-tier overall prospect, in spite of the volatility of the running back position.

Had Georgia's Todd Gurley not torn his ACL, he'd almost certainly be drafted in the first round. Even with that injury concern, Gurley has the type of ability to warrant such a heavy investment.

In what should be another deep wide receiver class, the difference between Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker is so marginal that any of them could emerge as the top option.

Yours truly is a fan of Parker's due to his experience with Teddy Bridgewater in an NFL-style system and how well he fared in 2014 without him. Miller believes Parker has the best athleticism of the three, too:

Parker's catch radius, speed, size and ball skills are all superior to those of Cooper and White, so that's why he'd help the Oakland Raiders and Derek Carr at No. 4 overall the most.

A checkered past leaves Dorial Green-Beckham as the X-factor of the receiver crew. Nevertheless, if he lands in the right situation, he could prove to be the real difference-maker.

Brandon Scherff and La'el Collins are touted for their versatility, since they both played multiple positions on the offensive line in college. They ought to be the first players of their kind off the board, though Stanford's Andrus Peat has indubitable upside and the likes of Ereck Flowers and T.J. Clemmings are recent risers.

Several explosive but risky defensive tackles in Danny Shelton, Eddie Goldman and Carl Davis should be drafted on Day 1. Shelton figures to be the best of the bunch if he can reach his immense ceiling.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares Shelton to New England Patriots star Vince Wilfork. Mike Mayock of NFL Network offered another gaudy analogy, via the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs:

A lot of pass-rushers are available in this 2015 class, such as Mizzou's Shane Ray, Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., Kentucky’s Bud Dupree and others. Their combinations of size and speed should stun evaluators in Indianapolis this week.

The best of the lot may be Nebraska product Randy Gregory, what with his tremendous length, lightning-quick first step and bend.

Positions bereft of depth include inside linebacker and safety. The only elite safety prospect is Alabama's Landon Collins, and ILB Benardrick McKinney looks like the only one of his kind capable of going in the top 32.

The cornerback market may be thin as well, but Marcus Peters is the most gifted and has the tools to be a shutdown corner. Peters got kicked off Washington's team and may be a character concern. He may also be worth the purported gamble.

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report observed the significance of Peters working out at Washington's pro day:

That showcase is sure to attract plenty of NFL personnel men, since it will feature Peters, Shelton and another probable first-round lock in outside linebacker Shaq Thompson.

Secondaries are as vital as ever in the modern era of the NFL, which favors teams that pass the ball well. Not too much help can be found in this draft in that area toward the top.

However, it is worth noting that Seattle's "Legion of Boom" defensive backfield in 2014 featured starting corners Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell in addition to safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.

What may surprise some is that Sherman and Maxwell were fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2011 NFL draft, respectively. Thomas was a first-rounder, but Chancellor waited until the fifth round to be chosen in 2010.

Even if a team's top needs aren't addressed in the opening round, there is still hope to find high-impact players as the draft goes on. This goes to show how hard the draft is to manage, much less predict how it will happen or grade teams in the immediate aftermath of when they finally do choose.

Draft season is quite the frenzied phenomenon. When the latest intel leaks out of the combine and then leading up to April 30, big boards will be adjusted and mocks will likely change quite drastically. For now, this mock is just one inferred attempt to make sense of an ever-fluctuating pre-draft situation.