2015 NFL Mock Draft: Breaking Down Best Possible Fits for Every 1st-Round Team

With most teams having already addressed many of their needs through free agency, the 2015 NFL draft will allow them to put the finishing touches on their rosters.

Some organizations may take a best-player-available approach, but with so many rookies making an instant impact in recent years, drafting for need is bound to happen as well. A good draft can take a team from relative anonymity to playoff contention, and it can even make a middling playoff team a possible Super Bowl threat.

As teams search for the final pieces to the puzzle, here is a mock draft featuring the best potential fits, as well as a look at some of the most underappreciated defensive players that figure to crack the first round.

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

Analyzing Under-the-Radar Defensive Players

Jalen Collins

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Solid play from the cornerback position is an absolute necessity in the pass-heavy NFL, and that is why former LSU defensive back Jalen Collins figures to get a long look as a first-round prospect.

Many questioned his decision to enter the draft, as he wasn't given a first-round grade, but Collins knew that it was the right time to make the leap, according to Jim Kleinpeter of NOLA.com.

"I felt like this was the best opportunity for me to maximize on the draft," Collins said. "I didn't want to risk getting hurt coming back for another year."

While it is difficult to argue with that logic, Collins still couldn't avoid injury. He recently underwent foot surgery, although he is expected to be back in time for NFL minicamp, per NFL.com's Gil Brandt:

It is possible that the ailment will impact his draft status to some degree, but the fact that Collins isn't expected to miss much time should mitigate that.

Teams already saw what Collins could do at the NFL Scouting Combine, as he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds, according to NFL.com. That, coupled with his emergence at LSU this past season, makes him a prospect worthy of being selected in the first round.

Per NFL Network's Charles Davis, the Pittsburgh Steelers stand out as a good fit at No. 22 due to their needs at the cornerback position:

There is no question that the Steelers are aging in the secondary, but Collins would be a breath of fresh air due to his speed and athleticism.

Pittsburgh is no longer a defense-first team; however, Collins would certainly put them in the right direction in terms of rebuilding that unit.

Eddie Goldman

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

On the heels of a great career at Florida State, defensive tackle Eddie Goldman is a player with definite first-round potential. A lack of need at his position could push him down the board a bit, but a team like the Detroit Lions would likely love to have him at No. 23.

The Lions lost both Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley in free agency, and while they were able to acquire Haloti Ngata from the Baltimore Ravens, they would benefit from nabbing a penetrating tackle of Goldman's ilk.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah is among those who envision big things for Goldman at the NFL level due to his impressive skill set:

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller is seemingly a little more apprehensive due to Goldman's inconsistent play with the Seminoles:

Goldman has all the physical tools that teams look for in a defensive tackle, so it is scary to think how good he could possibly be if he is able to add consistency to his game. Landing with a team like Detroit could certainly help him in that regard due to the amount of talent that already exists on its defense.

After playing alongside great players throughout his career at Florida State, Goldman needs a similar situation in the NFL. If the Lions decide to take him, then there is reason to believe that he will be in position to succeed.

Malcom Brown

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Like Goldman, it is conceivable that defensive tackle Malcom Brown could last deep into the first round despite his body of work. If the former Texas standout is still on the board when the Denver Broncos pick at No. 28, though, they can't afford to let him slip by.

Brown has great size at 6'2" and 319 pounds, according to NFL.com, but NFL Network's Ben Fennell believes his athletic ability is what will entice NFL franchises even more:

There is no doubt that Brown got the job done at the combine, but he also shined on tape in almost every aspect of the game, per NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock:

With that in mind, Brown makes perfect sense for the Broncos. With Terrance Knighton leaving Denver for the Washington Redskins, the Broncos most definitely need to find a replacement inside.

While Brown may not be quite as dominant as Knighton in run defense, he is still quite capable in that regard, and he is a much more complete player due to his ability to rush the passer as well.

The time is now for Denver to pursue a Super Bowl title, and Brown is the type of player who can contribute to that quest right away.

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