NFL Mock Draft 2105: 1st-Round Projections and Prospects Impacted by Free Agency

When the 2015 NFL year officially began back on March 10, teams gained an immediate opportunity to improve their respective rosters through free agency. 

Teams filled holes, added impact players and handed out a ton of contracts in the process. Of course, for every team that managed to add a significant player on the open market, there is a team that watched one of its own walk away for a new opportunity. 

As a result, the NFL landscape looks quite a bit different than it did two weeks ago. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the early stages of April's draft, as needs have been both filled and created.

We still have a long way to go before the draft actually takes place, but the overall draft picture at least appears a little clearer than it did when free agency began. 

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	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5	Washington Redskins	Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
6	New York Jets	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
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
30	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

Let's take a look at some of the top draft prospects most affected by the events of the past two weeks.

Draft Prospects Impacted by Free-Agent Moves

Alabama Wide Receiver Amari Cooper

Alabama product Amari Cooper is widely regarded as one of the top two wide receiver prospects in this year's draft, along with West Virginia's Kevin White.

Cooper is polished, professional and was extremely productive this past season at Alabama (1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2014). He seems to take pride in his craft and come across as the type of No. 1 wideout around whom a franchise can build.

Cooper, via Bill Williamson of ESPN.com:

"

Every time I run a route, I try to make it seem like I'm running a different route than I'm actually running so I can get open. ... I take good pride in the way I release off the line and coming out of my breaks. That's really the only two ways you can get open. I think that's probably what would separate me from someone else.

"

When you add in the fact that Cooper ran a faster 40-yard-dash time than originally reported, the former Alabama star begins to look more and more like a top-10 pick.

Cooper benefits from an early free-agency period that saw very few franchise-caliber receivers change teams. Of the teams holding top-10 selections, only the New York Jets added a big-name wideout (Brandon Marshall, via a trade with the Chicago Bears) to their receiving corps.

The Jacksonville Jaguars did add star tight end Julius Thomas, but they still lack a true No. 1 wideout. The departure of Cecil Shorts in free agency further adds to the need at the position.

This means that teams like the Jaguars and Oakland Raiders are still likely in the market for a wide receiver. while the Bears may be looking for Marshall's replacement. The New York Giants may even decide taking a receiver in the first round for a second consecutive year is a good idea, as theorized by Bleacher Report Lead Draft Analyst Matt Miller:

Had a team like the Raiders successfully made a play for a wideout like Dwayne Bowe (who ended up with the Cleveland Browns) or Andre Johnson (signed by the Indianapolis Colts), Cooper might run the risk of falling to the middle of the first round. As things stand, I believe he will be a top-12 selection, even if he isn't the first receiver off the board.

Oregon Quarterback Marcus Mariota

Like Cooper, former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is a prospect who benefits from the moves that didn't happen early in free agency.  

The reality is that there really weren't any franchise-caliber quarterbacks available on the open market to begin with, and the one major quarterback trade involved the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams swapping signal-callers. 

Yes, the Jets did ship a late-round pick to the Houston Texans to acquire Ryan Fitzpatrick, but Fitzpatrick is likely more of a stopgap than long-term solution. This means that unless new head coach Todd Bowles believes Geno Smith can still become that guy, then the Jets at least have to consider Mariota if he falls to No. 6.

The Tennessee Titans failed to upgrade the quarterback position in free agency and are looking into both Mariota and Florida State product Jameis Winston, according to NFL Media analyst Albert Breer:

If the Titans don't go quarterback with the second overall selection, there is a strong chance they trade the selection to another quarterback-needy team. A trade could conceivably come from the Jets, Rams (who pick 10th overall), Cleveland Browns (own picks 12 and 19) or New Orleans Saints (own picks 13 and 31).

Trading up for Mariota makes sense for the Saints if they believe Drew Brees is in the twilight of his career. The Rams traded away starting quarterback Sam Bradford and got Nick Foles in return. Unless St. Louis is completely sold on Foles, Mariota should remain a possibility.

Pat McManamon of ESPN.com seems to believe the Browns are a quarterback away from contention. "The only glaring need is quarterback, but the Browns have those two first-round picks and are better positioned to offer them plus another in 2016 to move up for Mariota." He recently wrote.

If the decision-makers in Cleveland agree, trading up makes perfect sense.

Then there's the speculation that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is intent on trading up from 20th overall to land his former collegiate quarterback. This is a rumor that simply won't die.

The bottom line is that the quarterback class in 2015 is extremely weak and some team is going to fall in love with Mariota enough to pull the trigger very high. I believe it happens at No. 2 overall, though the team might not necessarily be Tennessee.

Of course, all of this is assuming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose Winston over Mariota with the first overall pick. Otherwise, Winston will be the one to capitalize on a weak quarterback class and a lack of free-agency action.

Georgia Running Back Todd Gurley

No running back was selected in the first rounds of the 2013 and 2014 drafts. This is a trend I believe ends this year.

As long as teams are convinced he can return at 100 percent from last year's ACL tear, I believe the first back off the board will be Georgia product Todd Gurley. The 6'1", 222-pound back racked up an impressive 911 yards and nine touchdowns in just six games in 2014, and he projects as a true workhorse at the NFL level.

A free-agency flurry saw a number of running backs switch teams, but there are a couple of teams that ended up losing the proverbial game of hot potato. 

Most notable is the Dallas Cowboys, who watched star running back DeMarco Murray sign with the Philadelphia Eagles after the Eagles traded LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills. Murray battered opposing defenses last season and helped pave the way for a Cowboys playoff appearance.

If Dallas hopes to keep a similar formula in 2015, it would be smart to grab up a guy like Gurley. Trying to depend on recently signed Darren McFadden would be a gamble.

Dallas addressed the pass rush in free agency by signing defensive end Greg Hardy, which leaves running back as the one glaring need. Gurley would be a solid fit with the Cowboys. Patrick Conn of DallasCowboysDraft.com seems to agree:

I don't believe Gurley gets past the Cowboys at No. 27, but I could easily see him going earlier. Either way, as long as he proves healthy, I think Gurley becomes a Day 1 selection.