2015 NFL Draft: Opening-Round Order and Predictions as Combine Ends

The 2015 NFL draft will never be the same.

Now that the spectacle known as the NFL Scouting Combine is in the process of closing down for another year, the outlook for the first round of the draft is up in the air more so than it will ever be.

The dominoes will start to fall, though. Now is a time of reflection, a time to go back and see if that workout warrior's jaw-dropping times actually show up on film and make sense in live-game action. A time to polish off reports and craft a board to rank prospects.

As this lengthy process begins in earnest, now would be a good time for everyone else to brush up on how the first round—for now—will go down, with some key highlights after the jump.

2015 NFL Draft First-Round Order and Predictions

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
2	Tennessee Titans	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
4	Oakland Raiders	Leonard Williams, DL, USC
5	Washington Redskins	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
6	New York Jets	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
7	Chicago Bears	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
8	Atlanta Falcons	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
9	New York Giants	La'el Collins, OL, LSU
10	St. Louis Rams	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
11	Minnesota Vikings	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
12	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
13	New Orleans Saints	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
14	Miami Dolphins	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
16	Houston Texans	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
17	San Diego Chargers	A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Arik Armstead, DE/OLB, Oregon
23	Detroit Lions	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
24	Arizona Cardinals	Owamagbe Odighizuwa, OLB, UCLA
25	Carolina Panthers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
26	Baltimore Ravens	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
27	Dallas Cowboys	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
28	Denver Broncos	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
29	Indianapolis Colts	Nate Orchard, DE, Utah
30	Green Bay Packers	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
31	Seattle Seahawks	Carl Davis, DL, Iowa
32	New England Patriots	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota

Predictions as Combine Wraps Up 

La'el Collins Steals Top Offensive Lineman Spot

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Say hello to the perfect example of what a shaky prospect can do for his stock at the combine.

Entering the spectacle in Indianapolis, most saw La'el Collins as a run-mauler who might just be better off on the inside of a line due to his lack of quickness in pass protection.

So much for that.

Collins hit Indianapolis at 6'4" and 305 pounds, lean compared to his college days. It showed from an on-field standpoint, too, as he ran a 5.12-second 40-yard dash.

Don't think basic tests were the end of Collins' impressive showing. As NFL Network's Brian Billick notes, he addressed his main perceived weakness in a big way:

The only other true competitor for the top offensive lineman slot was Iowa's Brandon Scherff.

Scherff will be a strong player for a long time at the NFL, but after coming in at 6'5" and 319 pounds and running a superb 5.05 40-yard dash, his day was cut short due to an injury.

Collins no longer must deal with the questions regarding his future position, whereas those same "inside or outside" puzzles will muddle Scherff's stock right up until draft day.

There, Collins will hit the podium first.

Amari Cooper Fends off Kevin White

Believe it or not, the Kevin White hype will wear off at some point. 

White, who caught 109 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 scores in 2014, blew away the globe over the weekend thanks to 4.35 40-yard dash and 23 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press after measuring in at 6'3" and 215 pounds.

Things will come back down to earth, though. White is impressive, yes, but Cooper is the better all-around package who made Nick Saban rethink his run-first ways on the road to 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns, with a spot as one of three Heisman Trophy finalists as the cherry on top.

Cooper weighed in at 6'1" and 211 pounds with a 4.42 40-yard dash and eye-popping numbers in the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle, prompting some, such as Mike Loyko of NEPatriotsDraft.com, to lean in his favor:

As ESPN Stats & Info points out, Cooper ranks right next to one of last year's top overall selections:

Unlike White, Cooper is silky smooth and faces no issues breaking free of press coverage. He doesn't struggle as a blocker and can create yards after the catch through sheer agility or strength, depending on the situation.

As far as which prospect comes off the board first, Cooper is the obvious choice.

Running Back Remains Out of First Round

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Just stop.

No teams have selected a running back in the first round since 2012, and there is a good reason for that.

The position isn't "dying" regardless of what the general chatter suggests. Quite the contrary, in fact, as the best teams utilize a committee approach to sound effect. What this does, though, is diminish the value of the position—a position that is very much reliant on the offensive linemen in front of it.

Most seem to think Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon could challenge for a first-round selection, which makes sense after a year in which he rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 scores. He weighed in at 6'1" and 215 pounds, too, along with an impressive 4.52 40-yard dash.

Others peg Georgia's Todd Gurley as a surprise top pick, which makes some sense given his status as one of the most talented backs to enter the draft since Adrian Peterson.

Here's the problem—the combine was a disaster for running backs as a whole. It's one small part, but ESPN Stats & Info hints at a larger issue:

Provided Gordon's number was one of the top of the day, that's an issue.

This is where things become even murkier—why would a team waste a first-round pick on Gordon, a committee player at a committee position, when there is such great depth in the class? 

After the two players named, there is still Ameer Abdullah, Jay Ajayi, Duke Johnson, Tevin Coleman, T.J. Yeldon and Jeremy Langford, among many others, who can act as solid committee backs if the offensive line is strong.

None of the backs in the class are a Peterson or Marshawn Lynch. If they were, this would be a different discussion. From a value and logistics standpoint, though, it doesn't make sense for even a team with a need to gamble on a first-round back this year.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.