NFL Mock Draft 2015: Latest Projections for Top Prospects as Pro Days Continue

Forget a bracket—madness is not realizing the 2015 NFL draft is about a month away.

Somehow, someway, the NFL has managed to fall behind in the eyes of the public, in large part thanks to March Madness. No matter, though, as pro days have continued whether most of the globe tunes in or not.

There, prospects continue to reshuffle team draft boards and mock drafts by either reaffirming what the film shows or throwing some red flags into the air.

By now, most teams figure to have a strong idea of how to act on draft day. There are lingering questions and factors, though, which makes a mock draft based on team need and prospect value a necessity.

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	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
4	Oakland Raiders	Leonard Williams, DL, USC
5	Washington Redskins	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
7	Chicago Bears	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE/OLB, 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	Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
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	Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
30	Green Bay Packers	Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
31	New Orleans Saints (via Seattle)	Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan
32	New England Patriots	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

Top Storylines Coming Out of Pro Days

Alvin Dupree or Vic Beasley? 

David Stephenson/Associated Press

It seems to be a two-man race for the right to be the first pass-rusher off the board on draft day, with Randy Gregory helping himself out of the conversation.

One name is familiar. Clemson's Vic Beasley was in top-10 chatter last season before he decided to return to school, where he fell off the face of the earth and then folks realized he might be a tad too light.

Beasley regained top-10 talk at the combine, though, by coming in heavier than expected at 6'3" and 246 pounds and then running a 4.53 40-yard-dash and repping 225 pounds on the bench press 35 times. Per NFL.com's Gil Brandt, he then stood on those numbers and looked great in positional drills at Clemson's pro day.

The other name isn't as familiar. Alvin "Bud" Dupree didn't play at a major SEC school, nor a program known for churning out top prospects. He hit the combine at 6'4" and 269 pounds and then measured among the best in every drill he participated in, highlighted by a 4.56 40-yard-dash.

As is the case with Beasley, many think Dupree offers plenty in terms of versatility, as NFL Network's Bucky Brooks points out:

There's no easy answer when it comes to Beasley and Dupree. Further complicating things is a draft class just silly in the depth department, as a team could ignore issues around Gregory or fall in love with Shane Ray or Dante Fowler Jr. too.

For now, Beasley and Dupree seem to lead the pack. Then again, a month is a long time, so stay tuned.

Arik Armstead's Position

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

One of the draft's intriguing prospects continues to fly under the radar. 

Maybe it's because of the draft's stunning depth, or perhaps it has to do with the fact that Oregon churns out offensive players only in the minds of most.

Regardless, Arik Armstead shouldn't fly under the radar on draft day.

One of the draft's biggest freak athletes, Armstead weighed in at 6'7" and 292 pounds at the combine, turning heads with a clear physical upside coaches just cannot teach.

As NFL.com's Lance Zierlein concludes, teams can use Armstead all over the place in different fronts:

"

Projection-based prospect with elite size and the traits to become a dominant run-stuffing defensive end in an odd front. Armstead has the explosiveness off the snap and in his jarring punch to gain early advantages and control offensive linemen. Armstead is a fast riser but is still very raw. He will need patience and coaching and must become a more effective pass rusher at some point.

"

Where Armstead lands will be one of the more interesting things to watch on draft day. 

Maybe he goes to Detroit's 4-3 front and helps stuff the run from the interior. Perhaps he lands in a 3-4 such as Cleveland, does the same from an outside spot but also provides a rush in different looks and packages.

Regardless, freak upside such as what Armstead offers doesn't come around often. Which team pulls the trigger and takes the risk will be worth extra attention.

Wide Open at Wide Receiver

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

If pro days to date have shown one thing, it's wideout is the top position to watch on draft day.

Never mind the battle at the top between Amari Cooper and Kevin White. Both names figure to come off the board near the top 10.

It's the battle after that's worth the price of admission.

UCF's Breshad Perriman personifies the situation. A second-round pick at best before his pro day, Perriman—who didn't run drills at the combine due to injury—ran a reported 4.26 40-yard-dash at UCF's pro day, per his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Bleacher Report captured the moment:

Now, all numbers from pro days should come with a grain of salt. But with one dash Perriman inserted himself into the conversation with other top receivers. Now, DeVante Parker has more competition. So does Calvin Johnson lookalike Dorial Green-Beckham. So does productive, proven Arizona State product Jaelen Strong.

Don't forget about other fringe first-round picks such as Sammie Coates, Nelson Agholor and Devin Smith.

Perhaps a historic class led by Odell Beckham last year helps to overexaggerate things a bit this year.  Maybe the 2015 class is just as stacked, with room to be even better.

Regardless, as pro days march onward, prospects like Perriman will continue to throw wrenches in the process and cause many sleepless nights for scouts and fans alike—the former as they reshuffle boards once again, the latter as they enter "What If" land centered on the latest big name and how he would look in their favorite team's colors.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of March 29. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.