NFL Draft 2015: Latest 1st-Round Mock Draft as Pro Days Continue

It's easy to forget that the NFL pro days continue to chug along as the league refuses to take a day off on its path to the draft.

In fact, the relentless nature of pro days over the course of the next month contributes to the "madness" that is March, too. Stock changes big and small continue to pepper the landscape of the upcoming draft as more numbers and workouts go final. 

For example, while many have focused on free agency and college basketball this month, the draft's top two wideouts—Amari Cooper and Kevin White—continued to jockey for position in their recent pro days. 

To catch up on the latest happenings, here is a look at a first-round mock draft and some of the notable pro-day performances of late. 

2015 NFL Mock Draft 

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	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
17	San Diego Chargers	A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
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	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
29	Indianapolis Colts	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
30	Green Bay Packers	Carl Davis, DL, Iowa
31	New Orleans Saints (via Seattle)	Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan
32	New England Patriots	Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH.)

Highlighting Biggest Winners of Recent Pro Days

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama 

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

A prospect is on fire when he doesn't even need to run the 40-yard dash at his pro day to continue to turn heads.

This is in reference to Cooper at Alabama's recent pro day, where the Heisman Trophy finalist decided to stand on his 6'1", 211-pound frame and 4.42 40-yard dash numbers recorded at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Cooper shined in other ways, though, like during workouts. NFL.com's Gil Brandt says he dropped just one pass on a low misfire.

Also helping Cooper stand out was a public campaign from his soon-to-be former coach Nick Saban, as Turron Davenport of The Baltimore Times captured:

Cooper isn't a tough sell. He caught 124 passes for 1,727 yards and 16 scores last year before almost stealing the Heisman from Marcus Mariota.

Some just prefer White, who is quicker from a measurables standpoint.

It's fair, but the more that comes out about Cooper, the harder it is to ignore both his surefire short-term productivity upon arrival, as well as his long-term upside that should at least make him one of the first names off the board.

Devin Funchess, TE/WR, Michigan

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

In hindsight, Devin Funchess might be the biggest winner of this year's pro days. 

Funchess is a hybrid player without a true position at the next level. At the combine, he stood at 6'4" and 232 pounds. The measurements were too small for an NFL tight end, and after totaling just 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, he was considered too weak to be a proficient in-line blocker. In addition, his 4.70 40-yard dash had scouts thinking he was too slow to play wideout.

Funchess flipped the script on his teetering stock with a strong pro day, though. The main thing he needed to do was improve his straight-line speed, something it sounds as if he accomplished.

Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News provided the details:

It's a huge development, as improved numbers to pair with the film may cause some teams to go back to their draft boards and re-order a few names. Such ordering proves to have a massive impact on the draft itself.

On a more personal level, NFL.com's Chase Goodbread explained why the pro day was so important to Funchess:

"

Therein lies the other reason a strong pro-day performance was important for Funchess' draft hopes: the draft competition at wide receiver. The position might be the deepest in this year's draft. Teams in need of a receiver should have an opportunity to land a talented one well beyond the first round.

The tight end class, by contrast, is a weak one. Funchess was grouped with tight ends at the combine.

"

Things don't look so bleak for Funchess now. In fact, a scarcity at tight end and an improvement at his pro day may be just enough to sneak him into the first round.

Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State

TIMOTHY J. GONZALEZ/Associated Press

So far, the quarterback position is a piece of cake. Mariota and Jameis Winston lead the way, with Brett Hundley a distant third. Far behind the UCLA product is the fourth slot, occupied by a mash-up of names familiar and strange. 

Until now.

By the sounds of it, Oregon State's Sean Mannion seized the proverbial bull by the horns and never let go at his recent pro day. Citing a strong day throwing the ball, Brandt thinks many teams will head back to study more film:

There's a lot to like about Mannion, including his status as a four-year starter with the Beavers.

Pass-happy scheme or not, a strong completion percentage is something the league won't ignore:

YEAR	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT
2014	282	453	62.3	3164	15	8
2013	400	603	66.3	4662	37	15
2012	200	309	64.7	2446	15	13
2011	305	473	64.5	3328	16	18

The thing with Mannion is NFL teams will get what they see. A seasoned player with pro-style experience, he can make every throw and looks every bit the part.

The drawback is his relatively low ceiling. He won't reach the same peaks the other three quarterbacks might, but that's fine with some NFL teams, given this year's weak class.

For Mannion, the pro day was a chance to force his way into the conversation and prove his pro-ready traits are worth further observation.

To that end, Mannion is a big winner.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of March 15. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.