2015 NFL Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Storylines for Top Prospects

As the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine winds down, the first round of this year's draft is starting to come into focus.

There are still two months before the actual picks get made, so there are surprises on the horizon at pro days, yet the first step these players have taken starts in Indianapolis. Stocks will rise or fall based on the most minute detail, meaning everyone needs to focus more intently than ever.

For some, the big questions aren't going to be answered in a pair of shorts or with a strong 40 time. The way you present yourself in an interview and being honest tells teams a lot about who you are going to be as a person.

Now that a lot of top prospects have taken their first step toward the NFL in Indianapolis—in addition to already knowing how most teams need to build their rosters—it's time to start filling out where these players will come off the board in 2015.

Key NFL Draft Storylines

The Race For No. 1 Already Over?

Saturday was the marquee day at the combine, with quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers taking center stage. All eyes were focused on Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, who gave the quarterback group some flair that the event has lacked in recent years.

While Mariota had a huge edge in the 40-yard dash (4.52 to 4.97), Winston came out of the day as the favorite to end up in Tampa Bay.

It's not a huge surprise, as Winston has been projected as the No. 1 pick in a lot of mock drafts, including one by B/R's Matt Miller. What was a surprise on Saturday is the way the 2013 Heisman winner was throwing the ball, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports:

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Winston showed a remarkably fluid, more compact motion that he has been working on since the end of the college football season.

That's something of a new wrinkle, as he moves beyond his days as a reliever for the Florida State baseball team. As a pitcher, Winston spent months each year throwing with a more wide motion. That has been eliminated as he has moved his development solely to quarterback. He was particularly impressive on 10-yard out patterns, which are among the NFL's most challenging because of the timing and velocity requirements.

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This isn't to say that Mariota disappointed in his workout—far from it. The 2014 Heisman winner was every bit the athlete he looked in an Oregon uniform, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN:

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Mariota showed top-tier athleticism, having run one of his 40-yard dashed in 4.52 seconds—or faster than 10 of the wide receivers who ran in their workouts Saturday—to go with a 36-inch vertical jump and a 10 foot, 1-inch broad jump. He had the fastest 40-yard dash time among all 15 quarterbacks.

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Yet the thing that is going to end up separating the two quarterbacks is how dazzling Winston has been behind the scenes, breaking down plays and all the intricate details that go into making a quarterback great, per ESPN's Todd McShay:

Mariota didn't have to call plays or run an offense out of the huddle at Oregon. That's not to say he can't do it, but there will be a longer period of adjustment for him than Winston. Unless Chip Kelly somehow finds a way to get his old quarterback to Philadelphia, the full effect of Mariota's talent won't be known for at least two years.

In the great quarterback debate of 2015, despite both being worthy candidates for any team in need of help at the position, Winston is separating himself from the pack with each workout.

The Rise of Kevin White

In another loaded wide receiver class, the rising star coming out of the combine is West Virginia's Kevin White. He was already high on most boards, but he could end up being the first wideout taken when Oakland picks at No. 4.

The one thing that wasn't certain about White was how fast he was. You could tell he was a big-play threat at West Virginia thanks to the big body and wide catch radius, but would he have the legs to beat NFL defensive backs?

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock wondered how well White would look running a straight line prior to the combine, via Mike Huguenin of NFL.com:

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Kevin White is my No. 1 wide receiver. He has strong hands and is a physical runner after the catch. The only question is his long speed, and there is a huge difference between him running 4.58 and 4.48. If he runs 4.5 or better, I think he's a lock top-10 pick.

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Well, a 4.35 40-yard dash helped answer any questions. It was also helped by dazzling displays in the gauntlet drills.

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who was already high on White, sent out this tweet following the wide receiver's head-turning run:

Just as Mariota didn't do anything to drop his stock in the quarterback battle, Amari Cooper and Devante Parker also did well at the combine. They both ran in the 4.4-second range and displayed strong hands in the workouts.

ESPN's Todd McShay noted that if your favorite team needs a wide receiver, the last two years really leave no excuses:

So even though White looks like the wide receiver to beat at the moment, there are plenty of riches to be found later in the first round and second round. Teams always need outside playmakers—even ones who might not play a prominent role as a rookie but can be groomed for the future—so expect a rush of receivers to come off the board early.

The Defensive Line Rush

In this era of the NFL, where quarterbacks and passing rules the day, all 32 teams are searching for defensive linemen who can get after the passer.

The good news is there are plenty of players who can help in that area this year, as I see 11 pure linemen going in the first 32 picks. You can make that 12 if you include edge-rush linebacker Shaq Thompson.

Just as there are no excuses for teams in need of a wide receiver to get the help they need, there really is no reason teams can't find a quality pass-rusher in this draft.

There's so much depth at the position this year that you can get past names like Leonard Williams, Shane Ray and Randy Gregory and there would still be plenty of talent to make it one of the deepest positions in this class.

One reason for this uptick in defensive-line play is because of the freak athletes who are playing the position. Years ago, players like J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn and Chandler Jones might not have fit in the traditional mold of what teams wanted.

Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today credits the way that college teams are building their offenses for shaping the way defensive linemen look and play nowadays:

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As more college offenses turn to high-tempo spread offenses that stress speed and quick pass releases above all else, coaches have recruited elite athletes to play defensive end or outside linebacker. Watt may be one of the players who started the recent trend, as seen by his 13 votes in the MVP race last month, good enough for second place behind Rodgers.

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There might not be a Watt in this year's class—because those are once-in-a-generation freak athletes—but looking at the potential of players like Williams, Gregory, Arik Armstead, Dante Fowler and others, it's not hard to see why quarterbacks need to move quickly in and out of the pocket to succeed.