NFL Draft 2015: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Early Team Buzz from Scouting Combine

There are many factors that affect the NFL draft's ultimate outcome—college tape and character evaluations are just the tip of the iceberg. Once prospects get to the scouting combine, interviews and workouts become an enormous part of the process.

You'll often hear experts talking about the fluidity of the draft and how things can change in an instant. After all, one dazzling workout or mature interview can rocket a player up draft boards, while one poor workout or passionless interview can have an enormously adverse affect. Expect to see both of these factors come into play during the scouting combine.

We will have a better idea of where every prospect stands following 300-plus workouts in Indianapolis; however, buzz regarding what every team is likely to do on draft day will continue all the way up until April 30. That said, let's take a look at how the first round is currently looking to shake out, followed by some recent draft-altering buzz from the combine.

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

Buzz from the Scouting Combine

During the first couple of days at the combine, players aren't the only ones taking center stage in front of the media. This is a time of year where league coaches and executives are also answering questions, and some comments can lead to plenty of buzz around their offseason affairs.

Before this year's prospects begin their workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium, here's a look at a few recent pieces of information that could potentially affect how the 2015 draft ultimately plays out.

Chicago Bears Noncommittal on Jay Cutler

Veteran quarterback Jay Cutler appears to have plateaued after nine years in the NFL. While Cutler is a talented passer and has a very strong arm, his ongoing downside is a profuse amount of turnovers. Just last season, the signal-caller threw for 3,812 yards and 28 touchdowns, but he paired them with 18 interceptions and nine fumbles.

Following a regime change in Chicago that put John Fox at the helm, the team isn't ready to commit to Cutler going forward. During an interview at the combine, via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times, Fox spoke of the team's plan: "We're going to take the full amount of time to gather information, visit and build a relationship. Hopefully, [we'll] make the best decision for our organization."

After speaking of the quarterback's high level of talent, the coach added, "there's a lot more that goes into it."

In 2014, Cutler was also the focus of some unflattering chatter from the locker room, and Fox must decide if the quarterback—along with his turnover-prone ways and $126.7 million contract—is worth keeping around.

If the Bears opt to go in a different direction, they should be expected to continue their pursuit of veteran Josh McCown. However, the team may look to add another quarterback in this year's draft.

Picking at No. 7 overall, it's doubtful the Bears will have a shot at Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota, but they could look for a prospect as early as the second round—possibly UCLA's Brett Hundley. If Chicago wants another gunslinger, it could also wait for the mid-rounds to go after Baylor's Bryce Petty.

Tennessee Titans Looking at Quarterbacks

The Titans have the second overall selection in this year's draft, giving them a great opportunity to fill a huge need. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers presumably selecting a quarterback at No. 1 overall, Tennessee has a choice to make—it can either grab the remaining top quarterback or opt for an elite defensive lineman.

Leading up to the combine, the thought was the team would go with a defender like USC's Leonard Williams. However, after some comments from general manager Ruston Webster on Wednesday, that may not be the case.

Webster addressed his thoughts on the team's quarterback situation during a combine press conference, via Marc Sessler of NFL.com: "That's really square one for everybody, finding that quarterback. We're in a good position that way (with the draft)."

The general manager touched on the situation involving Zach Mettenberger as well: "We're not in a position to commit to anything. (Zach) knows we like him, he knows we value him, and we'll just kind of go from there."

This makes things rather interesting atop the draft. If the Buccaneers select Winston—as expected—that would make Mariota Tennessee's quarterback of the future.

It would be a risky move, as the Titans don't exactly know what they have in Mettenberger, Mariota will need to develop and the team would be missing out on an elite prospect like Williams, but it's difficult to discount the enormous upside of the Oregon product.

New York Giants Eyeing Pass-Rusher

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

New York has plenty of options at No. 9 overall. The team could elect to solidify the offensive line, add a safety to fill the potential void left by Antrel Rolle or add a pass-rusher to either pair with or replace free-agent-to-be Jason Pierre-Paul.

During an interview with Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com commented on one particular player the Giants have their eye on in Indianapolis:

Dante Fowler appears to have caught the interest of the Giants. In fact, he's likely caught the interest of any team in need of a pass-rusher. Fowler has great size at 6'3" and 260 pounds, and his athleticism is off the charts. Although, his greatest asset is his versatility, as he played every position along the defensive line and at outside linebacker while at Florida.

The former Gator would be a perfect complement to Pierre-Paul should New York opt to keep the veteran, but he'll also be a great addition to fill a potential hole along the defensive line. Unfortunately for the Giants, Fowler may not be around when they're on the clock.

If that's the case, Raanan alluded to the team possibly switching gears to the offensive side of the ball and seeking out a lineman instead. The team will have several prospects to choose from at that point in the draft, making that the most likely scenario.