NFL Mock Draft 2015: Latest Projections for 1st-Round Prospects Entering Combine

With the NFL Scouting Combine gearing up to take place in Indianapolis over the next week, 2015 mock drafts are never going to be the same.

League scouts have been pouring over game footage of their favorite prospects over the last several months, but many preconceptions will be thrown out of the window once combine workouts and pro-day reps take their place. Players once sought after as first-round picks will fall into the middle rounds, and previous afterthoughts will make late surges into the top 32.

With that said, talking points and interesting quotes have already trickled in from the beginning of the combine that have impacted the pecking order atop Round 1. Let's take a look at where things stand entering the combine. 

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

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, FSU

The times change, and the mock drafts change with them. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers once looked destined to select Oregon's Marcus Mariota and make him the franchise quarterback of the future, but that's no longer the case. Florida State's Jameis Winston is very much in the mix at No. 1 overall, and that was made clear in the opening hours of the combine.

NFL has the details:

Mariota's dual-threat ability and improvisational skills in the pocket make him an intriguing option, but there's little doubt that Winston is more of an NFL-ready prospect. He already has the pocket awareness and arm to thrive as a starter off the bat, whereas Mariota would need a year or two of serious development.

It became apparent that we would see both throw at the combine—a twist from recent years, which have seen the top prospects refuse to do so—when NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported both would throw. That's now far from certain, as told by CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora:

Whether Bucs scouts get to see Winston and Mariota duke it out in Indy or not, they will get plenty of opportunities to see both over the coming months. And the more they see, the more they're likely to be pushed in Winston's direction.

7. Chicago Bears: Landon Collins, S, Alabama

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

With the Chicago Bears looking to turn the page following a few years of defensive ineptitude, they could do no better than to lock down a franchise talent in the secondary.

Alabama's Landon Collins would certainly fit that mold. The hard-hitting Crimson Tide defender has showcased the ability to track down deep balls as well as anyone in the nation while maintaining a daunting presence in the box to stop the run.

NFL Network's Mike Mayock even thinks he can contribute at a linebacker spot, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times:

It's not hard to see where Collins would fit in Chicago.

The Bears' 30th-ranked passing defense struggled mightily in 2014 due in large part to struggles at the safety spot, both through injury and poor play. Collins would lock down a starting spot from Day 1, allowing inferior players to play their way back into the fold as reserves.

With Chicago switching to a 3-4 base defense, strong, athletic defenders in Collins' mold fit the bill of what head coach John Fox will want to implement in the Windy City. 

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith trying to make something of an ineffective receiving corps was painful to watch some time ago. Now, it's becoming comical.

In absolutely jaw-dropping fashion, the entire Kansas City Chiefs team finished the 2014 regular season without a single touchdown reception from a wide receiver. That will be a distant memory, however, with the selection of Kevin White.

West Virginia's star-studded receiver hasn't done enough yet to overtake Amari Cooper of Alabama as the top wideout in the class, but he's well on his way. In fact, he's already convinced Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

What White lacks in the separation ability and deep-ball prowess of Cooper, he more than makes up for in reliability. He's just as good as Cooper at getting open amid tight coverage in short-yardage sets and even better with his hands.

Add that to an increasingly impressive 40-yard dash time, as told by Bleacher Report's Will Carroll, and scouts will be drooling over him even more:

It's not a far-fetched thought to envision White above Cooper as the top receiver in the class. Over the coming months, he'll have the opportunity to prove it and climb even higher up draft boards.

For now, the Chiefs will have no argument about him falling in their laps at No. 18.