NFL Draft 2015: Updated Round 1 Selections Following First Week of Free Agency

The first week of the 2015 NFL free-agency period has officially come and gone, and boy does the NFL landscape look different than it did seven days ago.

The first couple days of free agency were dominated by big-name signings and shocking trades. As a result, several teams were able to fill huge roster voids and likely affected the strategy they take into early rounds of April's draft. 

Still, the under-the-radar value signings that trickled in throughout the rest of Week 1 may potentially have just as big an impact on what teams decide to do on draft day.

The Miami Dolphins, for example, tossed $114.285 million at free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in order to lock him up for six years. This means Miami may decide to look at a position other than defensive tackle on Day 1 of the draft.

Swapping out receiver Mike Wallace with receiver Kenny Stills through a quiet series of trades also means that wide receiver may not be as big of a concern as it would have been had Wallace and his massive contract been released outright.

Since the blockbuster moves that came early in free agency have already grabbed their fair share of headlines and attention, let's focus on some of the moves that came later in free agency's opening week and how they could affect the first round of the 2015 NFL draft.

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Williams, DL, USC
4	Oakland Raiders	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5	Washington Redskins	Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
6	New York Jets	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
7	Chicago Bears	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
8	Atlanta Falcons	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
9	New York Giants	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
10	St. Louis Rams	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
11	Minnesota Vikings	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
12	Cleveland Browns	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
13	New Orleans Saints	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
14	Miami Dolphins	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
16	Houston Texans	Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
17	San Diego Chargers	A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
25	Carolina Panthers	D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26	Baltimore Ravens	Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
27	Dallas Cowboys	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
28	Denver Broncos	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
29	Indianapolis Colts	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
40	Green Bay Packers	Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH)
31	New Orleans Saints (via Seattle)	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
32	New England Patriots	Owamagbe Odighizuwa, OLB, UCLA

Recent Free-Agency Moves With Potential Round 1 Impact

The Philadelphia Eagles Sign DeMarco Murray

The Philadelphia Eagles and their enigmatic head coach Chip Kelly made headlines when they traded quarterback Nick Foles and a pair of draft picks to the St. Louis Rams for quarterback Sam Bradford mere moments after the free-agency period began.

However, I don't believe this move will affect the opening round of the draft quite as much as some might believe.

Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com wrote the following after the trade:

"

It is unclear whether the Eagles plan to commit to Bradford as their starting quarterback or if this trade was part of a larger plan. Speculation has been rampant that Kelly would try to move up in the first round of this year's draft for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

"

I don't believe the move dramatically affects Philadelphia's ability to trade up for Mariota, if this is indeed Kelly's intention. Trading up from No. 20 to leapfrog the New York Jets (No. 6) or another team should be a difficult task whether the Eagles were to dangle Bradford or Foles and a 2016 second-round pick as part of the deal.

I believe the news that broke Thursday, however, will have a sizable impact on Day 1 of the draft. Of course, I'm talking about the deal the team struck with running back DeMarco Murray, worth $42 million over five years, per ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter:

This, in turn, leaves the Dallas Cowboys without the guy who was the focal point of their offense in 2014. Dallas signed free-agent running back Darren McFadden, but he is a complete injury risk and certainly not an outright replacement for Murray. 

According to Spotrac.com, McFadden is set to earn $3 million over the next two years. This isn't starting money for a veteran back.

Though is may seem like bit of a reach given the development of the position, I believe the Cowboys will think long and hard about grabbing a running back in the first round of the draft. 

NFL Media analyst Charley Casserly seems to agree, though he has Dallas taking Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon in his first mock draft of the season. I believe the pick will be former Georgia workhorse Todd Gurley.

The Cincinnati Bengals Bolster Defense

The Bengals are one of those teams that you just keep forgetting are playoff-caliber. It's probably because Cincinnati has lost in the opening round of the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. 

Still, the Bengals deserve credit for reaching the postseason for four consecutive years, while their status as a playoff team places them at the back end of the first round. The 21st overall selection is a good spot for a team like the Bengals to take the best player available. Thanks to a handful of smart free-agent signings, the team is in prime position to do exactly that. At least, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer believes so:

The first step was to re-sign pending free-agent linebacker Rey Maualuga to a new three-year deal before free agency even began. This prevented the middle linebacker position from becoming a major need this offseason.

Cincinnati's next move was to add former Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk on the first day of free agency. This should help add depth behind Maualuga and oft-injured linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

However, the biggest and perhaps most savvy move was to bring back defensive end Michael Johnson after allowing him to spend a season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers released Johnson a day before he was due to earn another $7 million in guaranteed money, and the Bengals are poised to benefit.

Cincinnati appeared interested in bringing him back from the moment of Johnson's release, but the move didn't become official until Sunday, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Johnson logged 11.5 sacks just three seasons ago and has amassed 19 over the past three seasons. Considering Cincinnati ranked dead last in the NFL with a paltry 20.0 sacks in 2014, his addition potentially fills a need.

If the Bengals are confident that Johnson can return to form, than the team can afford to look past a pass-rusher and address another need in the first round—like a run-stopper. The Bengals ranked 20th against the run last season (116.3 yards per game allowed), so grabbing a mammoth defensive lineman in Round 1 could provide a major boost.

The Houston Texans Also Grab Value

The Texans made some notable early moves, bringing in free-agent quarterback Brian Hoyer and safety Rahim Moore. The team also re-signed cornerback Kareem Jackson before the beginning of the free-agency period.

The addition of Hoyer adds competition to the quarterback room, at the very least. Locking up Jackson and signing Moore could potentially improve a pass defense that ranked 21st (243.1 yards per game allowed) a season ago. At the very worst, the Texans pass defense should avoid taking a significant step back.

Perhaps Houston's best moves, however, came on Monday when the team added a pair of value free agents with some major potential. Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle explains:

The addition of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork adds some beef to the interior of the Texans defense. Bringing in wide receiver Cecil Shorts at least helps offset the loss of Andre Johnson, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts following his release from Houston.

No, Shorts won't replace Johnson outright, but he should serve as a nice complement to DeAndre Hopkins should Hopkins prove ready to step into the No. 1 role. Since the Texans watched Hopkins rack up 1,210 yards and six scores on 76 receptions, it's a safe bet that the team believes he is ready.

Like the Bengals, the Texans are now in position to go best player available with their 16th overall pick. More importantly, the team shouldn't feel the need to gamble on a risky receiver like Dorial Green-Beckham in order to immediately replace Johnson.

Pick 16 might sound a little early for a guy with legitimate character concerns, but some early mocks have Green-Beckham going there, and media members like Patrick Creighton of CBS Houston are calling for the move:

The Texans gambled last year on Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick and were rewarded with a whole four games and seven tackles in his inaugural season.