2015 NFL Mock Draft: Breaking Down Biggest Boom-or-Bust Prospects

As NFL prospects go through their pro days and free agency and trades continue to shake up the NFL landscape, mock drafts are going to undergo a lot of cosmetic surgery between now and the draft. Such is the nature of the beast.

But certain things won't change between now and then. Jameis Winston will likely continue to be the consensus top overall selection. The Philadelphia Eagles will be rumored in potential trades to move up and select Marcus Mariota. Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay will loudly disagree about things on ESPN. 

Another thing that won't change is teams will wrestle with drafting boom-or-bust selections, those players who possess a ton of upside and potential but also have holes in their game or some type of concern that worries NFL teams. These are the players folks wrestle with, wondering if they'll become a superstar or a player that isn't in the league after a few years.

Below, I'll take a closer look at a few of those prospects alongside of my first-round mock.  

Pick	Team	Player
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams, DT, USC
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
4	Oakland Raiders	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5	Washington	Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon Ducks
7	Chicago Bears	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
8	Atlanta Falcons	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
9	New York Giants	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
10	St. Louis Rams	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
11	Minnesota Vikings	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
12	Cleveland Browns	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
13	New Orleans Saints	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
14	Miami Dolphins	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
16	Houston Texans	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
17	San Diego Chargers	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
19	Cleveland Browns	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Landon Collins, S, Alabama
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Eli Harold, DE, Virginia
25	Carolina Panthers	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri/Oklahoma
26	Baltimore Ravens	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
27	Dallas Cowboys	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
28	Denver Broncos	Cameron Erving, OT, Florida State
29	Indianapolis Colts	Benardrick McKinney, MLB, Mississippi State
30	Green Bay Packers	Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
31	New Orleans Saints	Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan
32	New England Patriots	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU

Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska

One tweet from Todd McShay of ESPN pretty much says it all about Randy Gregory.

His athleticism is impressive, and his ability to flash around the edge and get after the quarterback isn't questioned. His ability to play against the run and his inability at times to quickly forecast or diagnose what he sees in front of him is most certainly questioned. 

Gregory is clearly a 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level, but until he adds weight and strength, he's a 3-4 linebacker on passing downs. Any team that drafts him will have to have faith that it can mold him into a three-down linebacker—and an elite one at that—before considering him within the top 10 picks. 

The upside is there. He could be special. But so are the holes in his game. Gregory's issues can be fixed, but he's far from a complete prospect heading into the draft, especially considering he's being mocked as high as No. 2 in some projections.

T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh

Much like Gregory, T.J. Clemmings has a ton of physical upside, but he also needs to seriously improve his technique. Any team considering Clemmings is drafting first-round potential, not the expectation of first-round production right out of the gate. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller put it into perspective:

He certainly impressed folks at his pro day in early March, however, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com:

Coaches and scouts study film to get an idea of how a player handles competition and the speed of a game. However, tests, drills and pro days allow them to see what type of potential they might be able to squeeze out of a player. The higher Clemmings goes, the more that organization was swayed by his physical gifts compared to what he's proved thus far. 

It's a risky game to play. But when you hit on prospects with the athletic upside of Clemmings, you normally land All-Pro players. It will be interesting to see if Clemmings leans "bust" or "stud" at the next level, because it doesn't seem like he'll be anything in between.

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri/Oklahoma

Dorial Green-Beckham is big. He runs well. He's natural with the ball in the air, contorting his body with ease to track and bring down the football. He simply looks the part of an NFL stud. 

He also hasn't played football in over a year. He's had serious off-field concerns. NFL teams will have concerns about his maturity and dedication to his craft. 

Few players simultaneously offer more upside and more bust potential in this draft than Green-Beckham. He's a project, but he has the upside to be one of the best players selected in this draft. He needs polish, but he has so many natural gifts to work with. 

A team is probably going to take a shot on Green-Beckham in the first round. But that team will know going in that is taking a huge risk on the potential of a huge return. Little is guaranteed when it comes to Green-Beckham.