2015 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Prospects to Watch

The players who will turn the fortunes around for a handful of NFL franchises are available in the upcoming draft. The tricky part is finding out who those players are out of hundreds of candidates.

Can Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston establish themselves as franchise quarterbacks? Will a team actually take a running back in the first round (gasp!), and will it work? Is the next Richard Sherman or Darrelle Revis available to lock down the growing list of impact wide receivers?

There is plenty of talent on the board for the 2015 draft, and much of it will be taken in the first round. With that in mind, here is a look at a mock draft for the entire first round and some prospects to keep an eye on in their rookie years and beyond.

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	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan 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	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
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

No. 16 Houston Texans: DeVante Parker, Wide Receiver, Louisville

The Houston Texans finished a disappointing 24th in the league in passing offense last season and could use an upgrade along those lines.

Wide receiver Andre Johnson was still a major part of that attack with 936 receiving yards, but he will also be 34 years old at the start of next season (assuming he is even back with Houston). Sure, he’s an all-time great, but he is well past his prime and doesn’t have a lot of miles remaining.

There was some good news for the Houston aerial assault in 2014, and it was the emergence of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans are not exactly loaded with game-changing quarterbacks, but adding another potentially elite receiver to the roster to pair with Hopkins would make life a lot easier on whichever signal-caller wins the job.

That is where DeVante Parker comes in.

Parker’s NFL.com scouting report painted an enticing picture:

"

Consistently plays with outstanding body control. Soft hands and elite concentration are his calling cards. Credited with just three drops since 2012. Comfortable with a man on his hip. Maintains focus on downfield throws despite hand fighting and bumps. Daunting catch radius. Produces explosive plays without top-end speed. Works his way back to the ball and gets open during scrambles.

"

The fact that he is seen as such an intriguing prospect without that “top-end speed” is a testament to his route-running ability, instincts for the position and hands on difficult catches. In a perfect world for the Texans, Hopkins would be the deep threat with speed on the outside while Parker picks up big chunks of yardage over the middle on critical third downs. 

That could be a lethal combination in an AFC South that is wide open behind the Indianapolis Colts next season.

No. 29 Indianapolis Colts: Todd Gurley, Running Back, Georgia

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Colts boasted the No. 6 scoring offense and No. 1 passing offense in the league in 2014, but they were only 22nd in rushing yards.

This offense features one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in Andrew Luck and a receiving corps that includes T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne (if he returns to the Colts) and Coby Fleener. The one thing missing on the dynamic offense was a consistent running back to pick up yards on the ground.

Yes, Daniel “Boom” Herron came on during the stretch run, but he has been a journeyman most of his career, and Ahmad Bradshaw was much more effective as a pass-catching option than anything else. That’s not even mentioning the 3.3 yards per carry Trent Richardson put up in 2014.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Adding someone like Georgia’s Todd Gurley would be a tremendous boost to the offense. He is coming off a devastating knee injury but is still seen as a potential first-round option because of how talented he is on the field.

Gurley has the speed that is almost mandatory to play running back in the NFL, but he is also a physically bruising and powerful runner. He bowls over people and is impossible to stop with arm tackles, and the first defender to meet Gurley in the hole is rarely the one who actually makes the tackle.

He is also deceptively agile in the open field given all that power. Marshawn Lynch may be a high ceiling as a pro comparison, but Gurley has already set the bar high in his predraft quotes, via NFL on ESPN:

The Colts could certainly make room for that combination of talent and confidence.

No. 32 New England Patriots: Dorial Green-Beckham, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The New England Patriots are the Super Bowl champs, so there’s no need for improvement, right?

In fact, Tom Brady could use an impact wide receiver. Tight end Rob Gronkowski led the team in 2014 with 1,124 yards, and his routes up the seams were New England’s only real deep pass option for much of the season. Julian Edelman is not really a deep threat as much as he is a reliable option over the middle.

Adding someone who could beat a cornerback deep outside of the numbers would make the offense even more lethal.

Enter Dorial Green-Beckham.

At 6’5” and 237 pounds, Green-Beckham is a physically imposing prospect who can simply outleap cornerbacks for jump balls in the red zone or outmuscle them for difficult catches over the middle. He also has impressive speed, especially for his size, and should be able to create separation with his lengthy strides. 

Between his body control in the air, unique size and speed, Green-Beckham has the chance to be a special player. You can bet playing with a quarterback like Brady will help him reach his full potential.

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