2015 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions for Most Intriguing Round 1 Prospects

There's no time period that influences the NFL draft more than the early stages of the offseason.

Every organization enters the offseason with specific needs to fill. The draft is a great place to address these issues, but there's also a good amount of roster changes that get done when the new league year begins on March 10.

That's when teams are free to sign and trade whomever they wish. We've already seen two blockbusters, as LeSean McCoy and Kiko Alonso swapped addresses, and Brandon Marshall will make his way to the New York Jets once the league year changes over, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Rodak.

The NFL draft will forever be unpredictable, but it's relatively easy to get an indication of what types of players organizations will target given the moves made in the weeks leading up to the event. In any case, teams will be looking for franchise-changers.

Below is a complete mock for Round 1, including three players in particular who should significantly impact the future of their soon-to-be NFL franchise.

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	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5	Washington	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB. Nebraska
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
7	Chicago Bears	Shane Ray OLB/DE, Missouri
8	Atlanta Falcons	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
9	New York Giants	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
10	St. Louis Rams	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
11	Minnesota Vikings	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
12	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisvile
13	New Orleans Saints	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
14	Miami Dolphins	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
15	San Francisco 49ers	Vic Beasley, OLB/DE, Clemson
16	Houston Texans	Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
17	San Diego Chargers	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Alex Carter, CB, Stanford
23	Detroit Lions	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
24	Arizona Cardinals	Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU
25	Carolina Panthers	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
26	Baltimore Ravens	Alvin "Bud" Dupree, DE, Kentucky
27	Dallas Cowboys	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
28	Denver Broncos	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (Florida)
29	Indianapolis Colts	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
30	Green Bay Packers	Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
31	Seattle Seahawks	Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
32	New England Patriots	Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan

Kevin White

Move over Amari Cooper—you aren't the No. 1 wide receiver in the draft anymore.

The Alabama product may have been a Heisman Trophy finalist, but he has been surpassed by West Virginia's Kevin White. The speedy wideout was a relative unknown prior to the first major wave of mock drafts during the playoffs.

There are quite a few receivers who should go in the first round. White, Cooper, DeVante Parker, Sammie Coates, Devin Funchess and Dorial Green-Beckham are all worthy of picks within the top 32.

But White is special. The speedster ran a 4.35 40-yard dash, per CBSSports.com, but that's not all. He can do so much more. He put up 23 reps on the bench press and vertically jumped 36.5 inches. He's a great athlete who will change an NFL offense for the better.

At least five teams within the top 10 are in need of a playmaker like White. The Oakland Raiders appear to be the best fit as it stands today.

Derek Carr produced decent numbers during his rookie season without top-notch weapons. Mychal Rivera and James Jones were the lead options, which says much about the inferiority of the team's offense.

Add White to the fold. Then add a free agent, like tight end Julius Thomas. Throw in a competent running back, and you've got yourself a pretty good offense.

Few young players would embrace getting selected by the Raiders given their recent struggles, but White isn't against the prospect:

Given the right moves this offseason, the Raiders can get back to respectability in the near future.

Marcus Peters

Off-field issues could have teams worried about Marcus Peters, but the 22-year-old cornerback has the on-field skills to make an organization pleased with its decision to draft him.

Few prospects are as difficult to predict as Peters. Some have him going early in Round 1. Others think he'll go later on Day 1. Then there are those who think he might even fall past Round 2. 

He'll make those who passed on him wish they took him early.

One team willing to take a gamble is the New Orleans Saints, writes NFL.com's Mike Huguenin:

"

Taking Peters at No. 13 could be a bit of a reach. He's projected as a first-round pick in only two of the four NFL.com mock drafts, and those mocks have him going at No. 20 to the Eagles and No. 21 to the Bengals. However, [Charley] Casserly says the Saints have a big need at cornerback and should be interested in Peters (5-foot-11 5/8, 197 pounds), Casserly says, adding that Peters would be a "huge upgrade" for the Saints opposite Keenan Lewis.

"

He's the perfect complement to Keenan Lewis because of his physical gifts. Bleacher Report's Cian Fahey praised a few notable traits:

"

Marcus Peters to me is just more natural in coverage. Understands how to be aggressive but also controlled. Fluid, but stout athlete.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) February 27, 2015"

Quickness and agility allow him to maintain coverage, and while his ball-hawking skills aren't the best in the draft, this athleticism makes it difficult for opposing quarterbacks to find a window to throw to.

Given the importance of corners in today's defensive schemes, Peters will make a difference early on—especially if the Saints invest in him early and are willing to give him an opportunity on the field.

Melvin Gordon

There hasn't been a running back taken in the first round in three years. That's about to change.

Running backs have lost value in the NFL. For the most part, rushers don't last very long. When their legs go, organizations have turned to relative unknowns who have enjoyed success on occasion (see: the Baltimore Ravens and Justin Forsett).

But Melvin Gordon looks like a potential three-down back who a team picking late in Round 1 should target.

The jury is out on the Heisman finalist. Sure, he rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns last season alone, but there are analysts out there who don't think he's an NFL-ready playmaker. One of those analysts is NFL.com's Lance Zierlein:

Of course, there are those who think otherwise. CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso compares Gordon to a current stud runner:

Few players can match the overwhelming speed of Jamaal Charles, so to think that Gordon is even in the ballpark is impressive. Charles is the more complete player given Gordon's inconsistencies in the passing game, but as a runner, Gordon will slash and turn big holes into big gains.

The Ravens, Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts each need a running back. It'd be interesting to see one of these three very good teams roll with a rookie starter at such a prominent position in 2015, but Gordon will be a huge hit from the start.

In the end, look for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys to snatch him up.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn