NFL Draft 2015: Updated Mock Draft and Analysis for Round 1 Selection List

The NFL year is about to begin, as teams seek to upgrade rosters with proven veterans when free agency starts Tuesday. That open-market period will go a long way in defining the premier draft needs for front offices as the April 30 date for the 2015 draft's first round draws nearer.

So since there are areas on the roster each franchise will pursue addressing in the next month or so, it's still a bit too far out to project how the opening round will unfold with the utmost accuracy.

Nevertheless, let's take a stab at some updated projections for what teams in the top 32 will do as they prepare to make picks that will hopefully provide a spark right away and for the long haul.

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	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5	Washington Redskins	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7	Chicago Bears	Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
10	St. Louis Rams	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
11	Minnesota Vikings	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
12	Cleveland Browns	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
13	New Orleans Saints	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
14	Miami Dolphins	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
15	San Francisco 49ers	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
16	Houston Texans	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
17	San Diego Chargers	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
23	Detroit Lions	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
24	Arizona Cardinals	Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
25	Carolina Panthers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
26	Baltimore Ravens	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
27	Dallas Cowboys	Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
28	Denver Broncos	Cameron Erving, C, Florida State
29	Indianapolis Colts	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
30	Green Bay Packers	Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
31	Seattle Seahawks	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
32	New England Patriots	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

1st-Round NFL Draft Analysis

The above mock scenario has the most pro-ready passer in Florida State's Jameis Winston staying in the Sunshine State and going No. 1 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Winston does have character concerns, but he seemed to pass the interview phase at the NFL Scouting Combine well enough to justify the selection. The MMQB's Peter King recorded what Winston had to say about personnel men investigating his perceived off-field issues:

"

I welcome it. They're really going to find out the type of person I am. Character is not about what you do when you're around people. Character is what you show when no one is looking. I believe if they do a hard, hard investigation into Jameis the person, they will find out that I'm a good guy.

"

A lot of attention will be paid to what Tampa Bay does in deciding between Winston and another Heisman Trophy-winning QB, Marcus Mariota.

But the top of the draft ought to be filled with pass-rushers flying off the board. Applying pressure on the opposing signal-caller is paramount in the NFL, and there are truly elite prospects abound.

Clemson's all-time leader in sacks, Vic Beasley, has shot up draft boards after weighing in heavier than expected and tearing it up at the combine. The school's assistant athletic director Tim Bourret noted how special Beasley's performance in Indianapolis was:

An intriguing fit for Beasley is No. 7 to the Chicago Bears. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could capitalize on Beasley's talents the way he did with Aldon Smith in San Francisco—the seventh pick of the 2012 draft.

Chicago also has reportedly added former Baltimore Ravens edge-rusher Pernell McPhee on a five-year contract worth nearly $40 million, per The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson.

Passing on Danny Shelton to clog the middle would be tough, but Chicago is reportedly a player for nose tackle Terrance Knighton, per The Denver Post's Troy Renck:

Plug in McPhee and Beasley to go with Jared Allen and Willie Young, and the Bears have some serious firepower to get after the NFC North's formidable trio of QBs in Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Teddy Bridgewater.

The Cleveland Browns loom large with the 12th and 19th selections in the first round. They appeared to have whiffed on Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel a year ago, though it's still too early to say.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

In this instance, general manager Ray Farmer benefits from the Bears passing on a run-stopper and lands a freakish nose tackle in Shelton to bolster a front that was the NFL's worst versus the run in 2014.

Then Farmer finally gives in and grabs a receiver, opting for Arizona State's Jaelen Strong.

Bleacher Report's Cian Fahey believes Strong doesn't have one great skill to make him a transcendent NFL star:

"

Watching back Jaelen Strong. Absence of one elite trait hurts him because I don't think he's good enough all around to be a good starter.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) March 1, 2015"

However, Cleveland needs a playmaker with size, and Strong would give the Browns that at 6'2", 217 pounds and with a 4.44-second 40-yard dash time to boot (h/t NFL.com). Strong is part of a deep receiver class, which may come close to emulating the historic production of last year's amazing pool of talent.

Farmer has no choice but to fare well with two first-rounders for the second draft in a row. He's facing a possible suspension for the text-messaging controversy he created, and he could be out of a job if he doesn't land at least one instant contributor on April 30.

No running back has gone in the first round since 2012. This draft should be different, because Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon is a great candidate to replace Ryan Mathews in San Diego and provide Chargers QB Philip Rivers with a competent rushing attack.

Todd Gurley is coming off a torn ACL—otherwise he might have been off the board before Gordon. The Georgia standout's all-purpose skills could pay huge dividends to whoever drafts him.

An ideal destination for Gurley is the New England Patriots. The reigning Super Bowl champions will probably have Tom Brady under center for at least another couple of years.

Eventually, the Pats will transition to Jimmy Garoppolo, and they could supply both QBs with a rare ball-carrier in Gurley to bring balance to the offense and allow the tradition of sustained success to continue without a hiccup once Brady does pass the torch to his successor.