2015 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions and Analysis for Most Intriguing Prospects

There are no sure things in the NFL draft, but some prospects carry more of a safe label than others. Oftentimes, the players with the highest risk/reward factor are the ones who are the most interesting to discuss. What would it take to put the most intriguing prospects in position to succeed? 

Here's the full first-round mock draft. The players whose names are spotlighted in the table are discussed further below.

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams, DT, USC
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida
4	Oakland Raiders	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
5	Washington Redskins	Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
6	New York Jets	Vic Beasley, OLB/DE, Clemson
7	Chicago Bears	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
10	St. Louis Rams	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
11	Minnesota Vikings	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
12	Cleveland Browns	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
13	New Orleans Saints	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
14	Miami Dolphins	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
15	San Francisco 49ers	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
16	Houston Texans	Landon Collins, S, Alabama
17	San Diego Chargers	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
18	Kansas City Chiefs	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Bud Dupree, DE, Kentucky
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon
25	Carolina Panthers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
26	Baltimore Ravens	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
27	Dallas Cowboys	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
28	Denver Broncos	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
29	Indianapolis Colts	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Miss St
30	Green Bay Packers	Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA
31	New Orleans Saints (via Seattle Seahawks)	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
32	New England Patriots	Cameron Erving, C/G, Florida State

Leonard Williams, DL, USC

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

From a size and athleticism standpoint, Leonard Williams looks to be a prospect who could excel as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme or as a defensive tackle in a 4-3. That type of prospect is rare. However, Williams didn't appear to dominate the line of scrimmage as one might have expected in college.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com says: "[Williams] has ideal frame and can play in almost any spot along the defensive line. Tape is good, not great, but his raw talent and projection have teams excited."

Williams did have seven sacks in 2014, but only 2.5 other tackles for loss. Based on his ability to get to the quarterback, it seems he might be better suited as a pass-rushing defensive tackle in a 4-3 rather than carrying the responsibility of a run-stopper in a 3-4.

Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky

There's no questioning Bud Dupree's size for a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker. At 6'4" and 269 pounds, Dupree has the bulk to be an every-down defensive lineman, but he has also displayed the athleticism to rush the passer and to drop into space in pass coverage.

Battle Red Blog's Brett Kollmann breaks down Dupree in the video above.

At the scouting combine, Dupree ran a 4.56-second 40-yard-dash and had an NBA-like 42-inch vertical leap. With that type of athleticism, he's about as intriguing of an athlete as there is in the NFL draft.

That said, many may remember outside linebacker prospects like Vernon Gholston. Coming out of Ohio State, Gholston had a similar athletic build and freakish combine numbers. After a fledgling professional football career, he is currently out of the NFL.

Per Nick Shook of NFL.com, Gholston tweeted he had a tryout with Washington, but it appears the Twitter account that originally tweeted the message has since been deleted.

The difference between Dupree and Gholston might be overall football experience. Gholston didn't pick up the sport until he was a sophomore in high school. Dupree has been playing the sport most of his life. In fact, he was a star receiver in high school before adding muscle and switching positions.

Dupree seems like a boom-or-bust prospect. However, if he booms, every team that passed on him might be kicking itself.

Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Running backs don't get as much love early in the NFL draft as they used to—and Trent Richardson's nondescript pro career hasn't helped matters. 

That said, there are still a few athletes at the position who are so special that they pique the interest of teams with top-15 picks. 

Todd Gurley is one of those players. Were it not for his recovery from a torn ACL, Gurley would probably be selected within the first half of the draft. As it stands, the versatile Gurley is likely to be a late first-round pick. If he stays healthy, he has the potential to be the type of player teams have to game-plan to stop. 

He ran for 911 yards in just six games in 2014 for the Georgia Bulldogs. On talent alone, he's clearly the best running back prospect in the draft.