NFL Draft 2015: Opening-Round Order and Prospects in Need of Big Pro Days

For about a week, the NFL draft takes a backseat to NFL free agency.

It makes sense, even more so this year with all the wacky moves continuing to crop up. Ndamukong Suh is on his way to the Miami Dolphins, per ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Jeremy Maclin is on his way to the Kansas City Chiefs, again per Mortensen. It's all just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, too.

But in the span of that same week, NFL prospects will be hard at work. Free agency overshadows some of the period’s most important pro days, which makes it easy to forget many high-profile names who need to put on shows to gain draft stock.

The chances to boost stock are running out. Over the course of the next week, a few major names to know stick out.

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	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
6	New York Jets	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
7	Chicago Bears	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	La'el Collins, OL, LSU
10	St. Louis Rams	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
11	Minnesota Vikings	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
13	New Orleans Saints	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
14	Miami Dolphins	Danny Shelton, DT, 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	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Arik Armstead, DE/OLB, Oregon
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Owamagbe Odighizuwa, OLB, UCLA
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
25	Carolina Panthers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
26	Baltimore Ravens	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
27	Dallas Cowboys	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
28	Denver Broncos	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
29	Indianapolis Colts	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
30	Green Bay Packers	Carl Davis, DL, Iowa
31	Seattle Seahawks	Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
32	New England Patriots	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota

Prospects in Need of Big Pro Days

Nelson Agholor, WR, USC (March 11)

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

It must seem impossible for a wideout to stand out in this year's draft.

Heisman Trophy finalist Amari Cooper leads the way. Kevin White is explosive. Dorial Green-Beckham is a physical clone of Calvin Johnson. DeVante Parker and Jaelen Strong hint at steady pro production right out of the gates with room to grow.

Those are only the first-round prospects, too.

So how does someone such as USC's Nelson Agholor stand out? He attempted to do so in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, weighing in at 6'0" and 198 pounds and running a 4.42 40-yard dash.

One problem—his day ended early due to a finger injury.

There is still time for Agholor to make up ground. A wideout doesn't catch 104 passes for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns in a single season for no reason. As Jayson Braddock of KBME SportsTalk 790 points out, he reminds some of the aforementioned Maclin:

Elite speed, crisp routes and sure hands have a way of helping any wideout prospect no matter how deep the class.

A spot outside of the spotlight is not new for Agholor. It will happen at USC's pro day, too, with much of the attention going to defensive lineman Leonard Williams, a potential top-five pick.

Call it the perfect time to strike for one of the draft's most underrated players.

Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio) (March 12)

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Quinten Rollins doesn't face the same problem as Agholor. Corner isn't all that deep this year. Trae Waynes is a physical freak and Marcus Peters is as pro-ready as it gets, but it's pretty wide open after.

Rollins needs to change minds because of his playing at a smaller school.

It was easy to overlook the Miami product even though he made a name for himself at the Senior Bowl with an interception. Rollins blew up in Indianapolis, coming in at 5'11" and 195 pounds before showing well in all athleticism drills.

Lance Zierlein's description at NFL.com says it all: "Rare start-stop-start suddenness. His ability to change gears instantly gives him a chance to develop into a talented cover cornerback. With more work on technique and overall discipline, Rollins has the physical tools to become a very good NFL starter."

Let's sum this up in the easiest way possible:

• Rollins touts what coaches cannot teach.
• Rollins lacks what coaches can teach.

Those factors make Rollins a must-have prospect for teams in need of a defensive back. Should he have a big pro day, it's hard to imagine a reality in which he does not come off the board in the first round. If all is quiet from Ohio, he may dip to the second and below.

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama (March 11)

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Despite the high-profile school, Alabama's T.J. Yeldon has it tougher than the above names—by quite a lot.

For one, he plays running back, a "dying" position. Two, the class is quite deep and he rests behind Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Ameer Abdullah, Jay Ajayi, Duke Johnson, Tevin Coleman and perhaps others in the minds of most.

It doesn't help that he's viewed as more of a one-dimensional back whose main role is picking up the tough yards between the tackles. NFL teams can wait until the third round or later to pick up a niche player like that these days.

Yeldon somewhat reaffirmed these concerns in Indianapolis, weighing in at 6'1" and 226 pounds with an iffy 4.61 40-yard dash. NFL.com's Gil Brandt wasn't too pleased with his showing:

"

Yeldon didn't jump out at you or look special in the drills. He didn't appear to have very good change-of-direction ability while running. And I know Alabama backs of late have missed (Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson) in their first few pro seasons more than they've hit (Eddie Lacy). But I still like Yeldon, who racked up 3,322 yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry in three years at Alabama, to be a pretty good NFL player.

"

As Brandt points out, there's no doubt Yeldon will be a productive NFL player. But times have changed and productive doesn't get it done and place backs in the first round anymore.

Versatility does.

Yeldon never caught more than 20 passes in a season over the course of his three years with the Crimson Tide. If he's going to turn his stock around and get into the second-round conversation, it will take better speed measurements and a strong showing as a receiver and pass blocker.

There's an avenue available for Yeldon to break away from most of the class and be one of the first backs off the board. He just needs to write the blueprint in Tuscaloosa.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of March 10. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.