2015 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for Top Prospects as Free Agency Approaches

The NFL Scouting Combine did little to change the realm of mock drafts.

It's hard for a prospect to catch the globe off guard these days unless he somehow manages to shatter a world record.

Call it more widespread availability of information. Recording technology is better. Access to that technology is better, even from schools lower on the food chain. Widespread access to the thoughts and breakdowns of experts are easier to obtain than ever thanks to social media. 

Still, look for mock drafts to change over the course of the next few months. Not only are there pro days to consider, the numbers prospects did post in Indianapolis next compare with the film as teams double down.

For now, this is how things stand.

2015 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
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

Where Free Agency May Most Impact Early Rounds of Draft

Baltimore's Linebacker Situation

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Good news for the Baltimore Ravens—the 2015 class is very deep at linebacker.

The Ravens can go any number of ways at No. 26 overall. A corner may be in the cards as things continue to worsen in that area. Wideout is a possibility to help Joe Flacco.

How things work out between the team and linebacker Pernell McPhee is one of the more important free-agency situations to monitor, though.

McPhee is an unrestricted free agent and one of the most underrated names on the market one year after ranking as the No. 2 3-4 outside linebacker in 2014, per Pro Football Focus. Obviously, he's going to demand top dollar and can play the market if he makes it there.

If things don't work out, the Ravens may opt to start over with a young player again. Someone such as UCLA's Owamagbe Odighizuwa may be available at the slot. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler points out that Odighizuwa only continues to become more popular after the combine:

If not him, perhaps Utah's Nate Orchard, who hit the combine at 6'3" and 250 pounds with strong showings in all athleticism drills.

The point is simple. By the time the Ravens hit the podium, the top overall names in the class will be off the board, whereas teams below No. 26 and into the early second round will pray that the remaining strong names last.

Should McPhee re-sign, they just might. If not, Baltimore may ruin more than a few plans.

The Dallas Backfield

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys are the team that can save a position not drafted in the first round since 2012.

No other team truly has a big enough need at the position. Dallas, of course, may be stuck without a choice if DeMarco Murray departs in free agency.

The top question of the offseason revolves around Dallas and the decision to bring back either Murray or wideout Dez Bryant. Although even if it is Murray, the team may still look to add a top-tier back if general manager Jerry Jones' recent musings about usage prove true.

“I don’t think we would go into a season now with Murray thinking that he was going to have the load that he had last year,” Jones said, per ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer. “I don’t believe we would.”

Should the team choose Bryant, that leaves only Joseph Randle as a true option, although he remains embroiled in off-field drama.

The most popular name folks we'll throw out is Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, who just last year rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns. It's apparently an option on the table, as the Cowboys seem to have already met with him, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

No other back is truly worth a first-round pick this year, and should Dallas go that route, it ruins the plans of teams further down the board who chose to wait, as well as bumps some of that aforementioned elite defensive talent further down the board to make things more interesting.

The Spot Opposite Patrick Peterson 

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Last year, the Arizona Cardinals wound up ranked 29th against the pass despite a high-profile tandem of Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie.

Still, that's a better duo than most of the league can brag about these days. A wealth of injuries to the front seven did not exactly make the job of the defensive backs any easier.

The problem is the veteran Cromartie seems to already have at least one foot out the door despite the best efforts of Peterson.

"I'm definitely trying to keep him here," Peterson said, per ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss. "It's going to be tough, especially with [former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator] Todd [Bowles] being in New York and he loves [New York]."

If Cromartie heads back to the AFC, the Cardinals will start over and steal one of the only top cornerback prospects in the class. 

It's a mighty weak position this year, although LSU's Jalen Collins may dip to Arizona's selection. He was one of the combine's breakout stars after measuring in at 6'1" and 203 pounds before posting some eye-popping numbers.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah put it best at the time:

Corner is one of the most important positions in the NFL these days, so Arizona surprisingly stealing one of the only top prospects has obvious implications on the rest of the league as the draft progresses.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.