NFL Draft 2015: Updated 1st-Round Mock Draft, Analysis of Rising Prospects

A number of workout warriors strutted their stuff at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine and are seeing their draft stock soar as a result.

Many of the best perceived players fared well in on-field drills, but there were a few among the many gifted athletes who stood out in Indianapolis. Their preparation for the showcase at Lucas Oil Stadium paid off and should again on April 30.

Below is an updated mock draft of the opening round, along with a breakdown of the players who fully capitalized on the combine.

No. Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams, DL, USC
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida
4	Oakland Raiders	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5	Washington Redskins	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7	Chicago Bears	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
10	St. Louis Rams	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
11	Minnesota Vikings	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
12	Cleveland Browns	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
13	New Orleans Saints	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
14	Miami Dolphins	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
15	San Francisco 49ers	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
16	Houston Texans	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
17	San Diego Chargers	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
23	Detroit Lions	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
24	Arizona Cardinals	Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
25	Carolina Panthers	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
26	Baltimore Ravens	Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State
27	Dallas Cowboys	Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
28	Denver Broncos	Cameron Erving, C, Florida State
29	Indianapolis Colts	Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
30	Green Bay Packers	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
31	Seattle Seahawks	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
32	New England Patriots	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

Analyzing Rising NFL Draft Prospects

Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut

No one burst onto the scene more in Indianapolis than Jones, what with his record-setting 12-foot, three-inch broad jump and a 44.5-inch vertical that was the best among defensive backs.

Jones couldn't help but be a bit befuddled by the amazing former number himself:

The former Huskies star was coming off surgery for a torn labrum, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, so he couldn't even run the 40-yard dash. What he did do was post incredible totals in the 20-yard shuttle (3.94 seconds) and 60-yard shuttle (10.98).

Those latter two combine marks show that Jones has extremely quick change of direction and confirms the notion that he has exceptional recovery speed to mirror receivers' routes. Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski noted how strong of a player Jones was in seven 2014 contests:

Measuring at 6'1" and 199 pounds gives Jones the size to be a factor against bigger NFL receivers on the outside. He is fully capable of playing press coverage and has the raw athleticism to recover, gamble and stay aggressive.

If he does fall into the latter part of Round 1, Jones will likely land with a playoff-caliber team and be surrounded with talented players, which will aid his adjustment to the NFL.

Not even on most people's radars before the combine, this is a classic case of how grand the stage is at the annual pre-draft event—and how much it can help Jones and other less heralded prospects.

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Despite hailing from a more simplistic, spread-oriented system than his fellow top wideout prospects in Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker, White's combine might have made him the No. 1 receiver in the draft.

He put up 23 reps on the bench press and ran a 4.35-second 40, tipping the scales at 215 pounds with a 6'3" frame to boot. Those are some serious physical tools that any NFL team would love to mold.

The knack White has for catching the ball at its highest point, warding off defenders for 50-50 balls and storming past the jam at the line of scrimmage makes him especially dangerous. Throw his confirmed combine speed on top of that, and he's quite the offensive weapon.

As long as he can grasp an NFL playbook rather quickly, there's no reason White can't be an immediate-impact rookie.

The combine changed the perception that Cooper was the best receiver available. White's superior size, strength and speed should see him come off the board in the top five, with Oakland being a most logical destination.

If the Raiders give cannon-armed quarterback Derek Carr a toy like White to throw to, a swift turnaround could be in order for the Silver and Black.

Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Those massive deltoids alone suggested Beasley should be in the first round prior to his workout. Any concerns about being undersized were dismissed in short order when Beasley rocked his sleeveless combine jersey.

Then Beasley went through the drills in Indy, and his raw numbers might have been even more impressive than his pure physical appearance.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager took notice of Beasley's scintillating 40-yard dash:

But Clemson's all-time leader in sacks also put up 35 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press. With his speed and evident explosive upper-body strength, Beasley is going to likely wear down NFL offensive lines by the fourth quarter with his complementary relentless motor.

The big question is whether he can apply his newly acquired power to the gridiron when he makes the adjustment to the pros as a rookie.

Beasley's burst and bend allowed him to win off the edge in college. He won't be able to do that as easily in the NFL. If he can develop a bull rush to go with his lateral quickness and quick-twitch ability, there's no telling what Beasley's ceiling will be.

This 2015 draft class is loaded with pass-rushers, and teams can't go too far wrong by choosing any of the top prospects. However, Beasley shouldn't be passed over in the top 15 or so after what he showed at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Note: Combine numbers courtesy of NFL.com's tracker.