NFL Draft 2015: 1st-Round Mock Draft Based on Post-Scouting Combine Buzz

The NFL Scouting Combine can act as both a blessing and a curse for draft hopefuls.

Displaying confidence, intelligence and maturity during media sessions and interviews can quickly turn the tide for a prospect with a checkered past. Showing the right blend of technique, strength and athleticism during workouts can boost the stock of a player who was previously thought to have certain physical limitations.

Conversely, some performances simply don't live up to expectations, and the combine results in an adverse effect for those participants.

The 2015 edition of the event saw both ends of the spectrum following a week of interviews and drills at Lucas Oil Stadium. Here's a look at how the draft's first round is likely to shake out based on the post-combine buzz from Indianapolis.

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	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5	Washington Redskins	Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
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	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
11	Minnesota Vikings	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
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	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
16	Houston Texans	Landon Collins, S, Alabama
17	San Diego Chargers	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Bud Dupree, DE, Kentucky
20	Philadelphia Eagles	P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
23	Detroit Lions	Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
24	Arizona Cardinals	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
25	Carolina Panthers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
26	Baltimore Ravens	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
27	Dallas Cowboys	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
28	Denver Broncos	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
29	Indianapolis Colts	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
30	Green Bay Packers	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Miss State
31	Seattle Seahawks	Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
32	New England Patriots	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami

Analyzing Post-Combine Buzz

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

No one created more buzz at the combine than Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. He entered Indianapolis with a bevy of off-field concerns; however, he was also thought to be the most NFL-ready signal-caller in this year's draft. Well, he impressed in both interviews and workouts.

Winston was commended for his football intelligence, and he excelled during positional drills, making all of the throws and showcasing his polished throwing motion. He's expected to go No. 1 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by many analysts; however, NFL Media's Mike Mayock expressed some remaining concern during an interview on the Mike & Mike show, via Mike Huguenin of NFL.com.

Said Mayock, "I don't know yet. I take (Winston) No. 1 from a talent perspective. I'm all over it from a talent perspective, but I would have to do more homework off the field because, right now, he scares me. He was the face of Florida State football, and he continued to make bad decisions off the field."

Winston has great size at 6'4" and 231 pounds. With a great combination of a powerful arm, pocket awareness and the ability to progress through his reads, he could be considered a quarterback who can step in and lead a team immediately. If Tampa Bay can get past the character issues, he'll be the draft's top pick.

Of course, we can't mention Winston without mentioning Marcus Mariota in the same breath.

The Oregon product impressed at the combine as well, albeit for different reasons. Mariota's athleticism was off the charts in Indianapolis, as he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash—the fastest among quarterbacks—and finished as a top performer in every drill. He performed well during positional drills, but there are still questions regarding his need for continued development.

Huguenin relayed another comment from Mayock regarding Mariota:

"

He's the classic case of 'OK, all these individual components work. How much do we believe that he can transition into the role of NFL pocket passer?' Since there's very minimal proof of it on tape, it's a leap of faith. And I think most people are going to take that leap because the kid is so solid, so smart and so hardworking, they believe he'll be able to do it.

"

Mariota may need time to develop, but with his high level of talent, don't expect him to last past No. 6 overall on April 30.

As far as the draft's pass-catchers go, West Virginia's Kevin White stood out above the rest, moving his way to the top of the position on many big boards. At 6'3" and 215 pounds, he already has the size of a dangerous outside receiver in the NFL; however, when you factor in his 4.35-second 40-yard dash, 23 reps on the bench press and great hands during positional drills, he becomes the total package.

Following White's performance, NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah had this to say:

Although, one player likely to be selected before White is USC's Leonard Williams. Widely heralded as the draft's top defensive prospect entering the combine, Williams didn't disappoint. At 6'5" and 302 pounds, the versatile defensive lineman displayed a great combination of speed, strength and agility that will surely make him a terror in the NFL's trenches.

For a big man, his 40-yard dash time of 4.97 seconds was very impressive, and ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted a statistic to back up that notion:

While all of the aforementioned players had fantastic combines, the prospect who helped himself more than any other was Clemson's Vic Beasley.

Beasley was a workout warrior in Indianapolis, finishing as a top performer in every single drill. His speed was well on display, as his 4.53-second 40-yard dash was the fastest among all linebackers, and his 35 reps on the bench press tied for first. That's the combination of speed and strength NFL scouts drool over.

While Beasley is an impressive physical specimen—he came in at 6'3", 246 pounds—his technique will need some work at the NFL level. Although, based on what he showed at the combine, there isn't a defensive coordinator in the league who wouldn't love to mold this prospect into the next edge-rushing monster.

All prospect measurements and combine results courtesy of NFL.com's results tracker.