2015 NFL Draft: 1st-Round Order and Predictions for Fastest-Rising Prospects

Naturally, NFL draft risers plateau.

It's all about timing for a prospect—the whole adage "strike while the iron is hot," meaning the best time to put on a show and send scouts scrambling back to the film is the NFL Scouting Combine.

Stand out there, in a controlled environment among more than 300 of the best players in the nation, and the rest of the path to the draft is rather simple provided numbers and overall health remain in a holding pattern at pro days.

Several prospects did just this in Indianapolis. A few recognizable names may be at a noticeable peak in terms of stock, but that's not a horrible situation to be in—others are scrambling, hoping pro days provide a friendly track and speed to salvage dwindling stock.

2015 NFL Draft Order and Predictions

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

Predictions for Fast Risers

Landon Collins, S, Alabama

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

On the one hand, it's not hard to stand out in this year's safety class. 

It is miserable and one of the main reason's Alabama's Landon Collins is the only household name and will probably continue to be alone in that regard right up until draft day.

Collins also has himself to thank, though. He hit the combine with a reputation as an in-the-box player who struggles to backpedal and keep pace with receivers in the passing game, something that ruins a safety's stock these days.

One measurement of 6'0", 228 pounds and a ridiculous 4.53 40-yard dash later, and that misconception is out the window for good.

ESPN's Todd McShay even pointed out on the broadcast that Collins is surely the lone first-round safety, as illustrated by SEC Network:

For Collins, he seems to admit he can bring the boom similar to some current NFL safeties, as Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman captures:

The tape certainly doesn't disagree, although things are better than ever for Collins now that there are numbers to put right next to it.

As a result, Collins is going to be a hot commodity on draft day. A team such as the Miami Dolphins will consider him, but look for the secondary-needy Philadelphia Eagles to pull the trigger in the middle of the round.

Prediction: Philadelphia selects Collins at No. 20 overall.

Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

From a statistical standpoint, it's hard to ignore Arizona State's Jaelen Strong. 

Pass-happy scheme or not, his production during two collegiate seasons speaks for itself:

YEAR	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
2014	82	1165	14.2	10
2013	75	1122	15.0	7

Still, it's not easy to stand out in a draft class headlined by Amari Cooper and Kevin White, not to mention other explosive prospects such as DeVante Parker and Dorial Green-Beckham.

Strong helped himself to gain some serious traction among the top names due to his performance at Lucas Oil Stadium, though. He weighed in at 6'2" and 217 pounds, showcasing better size than once thought. 

A 4.44 40-yard dash suggests he's faster than film hints, and a 42-inch vertical means he will be a legitimate weapon in the red zone. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller put it best:

Given the numbers and film to date, it should come as no shock that Strong showed strong route running and sure hands in drills, too.

The only thing that can hold Strong back now is relatively out of his control—the class itself.

Four or five wideouts figure to come off the board in the opening round in Chicago, but overall the league figures to focus on what is an amazing class for defensive talent. With that in mind, a team with a young quarterback such as Oakland won't mind scooping Strong out of his tumble in the early second round.

Prediction: Oakland selects Strong in the early second round.

Arik Armstead, DE/OLB, Oregon

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Most still don't know the name Arik Armstead.

It's a forgivable offense considering the impressive depth of the class when it comes to versatile rushers. The Oregon product must somehow make a name for himself among Randy Gregory, Shane Ray, Alvin Dupree, Dante Fowler Jr., Vic Beasley and more.

Call it a tall task, although one Armstead is clearly up to. He was one of the most physically impressive players in Indianapolis, weighing in at 6'7" and 292 pounds before showing sound explosiveness in most drills.

For some, Armstead's explosion up draft boards is no shock. ESPN's Mel Kiper listed him as No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the month—ahead of every aforementioned name except for Ray—writing:

"

At nearly 6-foot-8 and 290 pounds, he doesn't just offer exceptional quickness for his size, he's also a powerful edge player who can simply move people backwards when he's playing with leverage and is going to disrupt passing lanes with his length. When you think of what a guy like Ziggy Ansah can do for Detroit in converting speed to power and removing the pocket even when he's not blowing by you—essentially succeeding even as a relatively raw player—there's a comparison to be made between the two players. 

"

After the combine, Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com hit the nail on the head:

Armstead is a scheme-versatile player who can rush from an edge or the inside and wreak havoc as a factor opposing offenses must prepare for each week.

Look for a team such as the Pittsburgh Steelers to take advantage of a deep class by grabbing Armstead in the middle of the round. He's an ideal fit in an unpredictable defense that continues to get younger.

Prediction: Pittsburgh selects Armstead at No. 22 overall.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of Feb. 26. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.