NFL Draft 2015: First-Round Mock Draft Heading into Free Agency

The NFL free-agency period begins in less than a week, and teams will continue to evaluate their needs as new players come in before the 2015 NFL draft.

Prospects will continue to move up and down draft boards across the league prior to the end of April due to changing team needs and new information. However, at this point, scouts already know quite a bit about most prospects due to game film and NFL Scouting Combine workouts.

Before the free-agency period begins, let's take a look at an updated first-round mock draft along with a breakdown of some of the best team fits for a few prospects. The best fits are based off of offensive or defensive scheme as well as positional need.

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams, DT, USC
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida
4	Oakland Raiders	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5	Washington Redskins	Randy Gregoy, OLB, Nebraska
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7	Chicago Bears	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
8	Atlanta Falcons	Alvin Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
9	New York Giants	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
10	St. Louis Rams	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
11	Minnesota Vikings	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
12	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
13	New Orleans Saints	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
14	Miami Dolphins	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
15	San Francisco 49ers	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
16	Houston Texans	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
17	San Diego Chargers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon
25	Carolina Panthers	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL)
26	Baltimore Ravens	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
27	Dallas Cowboys	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
28	Denver Broncos	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
29	Indianapolis Colts	Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
30	Green Bay Packers	Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan
31	Seattle Seahawks	Cameron Erving, C, Florida STate
32	New England Patriots	Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma

13. New Orleans Saints: Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

One year after a defensive turnaround from the New Orleans Saints, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's unit didn't look nearly as effective in 2014. During the regular season, the Saints allowed 26.5 points and 384 yards per game. 

The main reason for their defensive struggles? A lack of a pass rush. Their 34 sacks ranked just 25th in the league, and it was difficult for New Orleans to consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

There are a lot of talented pass-rushers in this year's draft, and at this point in the first round, only one or two top-tier guys could be left on the board. Clemson's Vic Beasley could be a legitimate option with the No. 13 overall pick, and he'd likely fit well in Ryan's scheme.

Beasley's biggest strengths are his burst and timing off the line of scrimmage. He has great balance and can dip low when turning the corner to get separation on offensive linemen. With his 6'3'' and 246-pound frame, Beasley projects well as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

Former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd had some very positive things to say about his former teammate, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com:

"

There's nobody that matches him in the country. I think that he's an instant-impact player in the NFL. People talk about [Florida's] Dante Fowler and how he could be the No. 1 defensive player taken. But I think it would be a mistake not to take Vic first. 

Somebody asked me who you could compare him to. You can't do it with J.J. Watt because J.J. Watt is not as explosive as Vic, and J.J. Watt is the best defensive player in the league.

"

Beasley looks like one of the more dangerous pass-rushers in this draft class, but he'll have to work on polishing his technique to match up against the league's talented offensive tackles. However, after some strong numbers from the combine, teams are going to feel like Beasley is ready to play at the next level, and the Saints could be one of them.

15. San Francisco 49ers: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma

The San Francisco 49ers have a glaring need at wide receiver. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick needs some more dangerous weapons to throw to, especially after the 49ers ranked 30th in the passing offense with just 191 yards per game through the air.

Although there will be a few options to choose from in the middle of the first round, the 49ers could really use a big, physical receiver that can make plays deep down the field or in the red zone. While there are plenty of questions surrounding him, Dorial Green-Beckham fits that mold quite well.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

At 6'5'' and 237 pounds, there are few receivers in the league that possess Green-Beckham's combination of size, length and speed. Physically, he's nearly a complete package, showing off an impressive catch radius and soft hands that rarely drop balls. 

Because of his physical traits, Green-Beckham has the opportunity to go as early as the first round, but there are questions about his football IQ. The former Missouri and Oklahoma wideout doesn't run the cleanest routes and doesn't feel what defenses are giving him. 

Obviously, taking Green-Beckham in the first round would be a major risk, but with how badly the 49ers need a playmaker on offense, they might be willing to take that risk.

26. Baltimore Ravens: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

Ray Rice is long gone. Justin Forsett is set to be an unrestricted free agent. None of the in-house options look appealing.

It might be time for the Baltimore Ravens to get another running back.

Drafting a running back in the first round hasn't panned out well as of late, but there are a couple of names that could be called on the first day this year. For the Ravens, no running back would fit their offensive scheme better than Georgia's Todd Gurley.

There are plenty of debates about who the best running back is in this year's draft, but before tearing his ACL, Gurley looked like the clear choice. Dane Brugler of CBS Sports still believes that Gurley is on another tier by himself compared to the other backs in this class:

The easy comparison for Gurley is Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, but his 6'1'', 222-pound frame towers over "Beast Mode." Perhaps a more fitting comparison would be to former All-Pro back Edgerrin James, an aggressive runner that keeps his feet moving while using his combination of size and speed to run over the competition.

Teams will shy away from Gurley because of the knee injury, but the Ravens couldn't go wrong by taking a chance on him. Joe Flacco needs a workhorse running back behind him that can give the offense some balance, because he's a more effective quarterback when the play-action is working.