2015 NFL Mock Draft: Complete 1st-Round Predictions for Rising Prospects

It's so close you can almost taste it. The start of the 2015 NFL draft is less than a month away, which means scouts and general managers everywhere are doing their homework on the top prospects.

Thanks to the NFL Scouting Combine and pro days, everyone involved now has a better idea of who they want to draft. Not to mention, there's an entire body of work from college to study—but that's not as flashy.

Coming down the stretch, numerous players have stepped up to prove they deserve to be taken in the first round. Prior to the draft on April 30, here's a look at a full first-round mock and the top rising prospects on the board.

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

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Early in the draft process, Fowler was seen as a fringe pick in the middle of the first round. Now, he's a certified top-five pick slotted to go ahead of previous locks at the top of draft boards.

Don't believe me that he'll likely go No. 3 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars? Maybe Mel Kiper of ESPN can convince you, via Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union:

In terms of pure fit, Fowler to Jacksonville couldn't make more sense. Playing with the Florida Gators and born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he's clearly comfortable in the state. Offering an explosive edge-rushing ability, Fowler would also mesh perfectly with the Jaguars.

Entering his third year with the Jags, head coach Gus Bradley needs to produce results.

Last year, Jacksonville acquired Blake Bortles in the first and a plethora of receivers in later rounds before signing tight end Julius Thomas. With Fowler on defense along with Chris Clemons, Paul Posluszny and Sen'Derrick Marks, both sides should be explosive enough to compete in the AFC South division.

10. St. Louis Rams: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

I still have him as the No. 2 receiver in the draft, but many believe he'll be the No. 1 pick at the position. That was particularly evident earlier in the draft season when Matt Miller of Bleacher Report noted NFL teams had White higher on draft boards.

Maybe it's stubbornness on my part, but his raw tools aren't as impressive as Amari Cooper's refined game. Still, being ahead of an accomplished receiver like DeVante Parker means his stock has seen a huge jump thanks to the combine.

Expect this West Virginia receiver to go in the top 10 in the first round. Paired up with fellow WVU wideout Tavon Austin, hopefully they can get the most out of each other. Nick Foles will need just that if he plans to make the Rams competitive in the NFC West.

27. Dallas Cowboys: Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Having Eric Kendricks at the bottom of the first round is no slight to the former UCLA linebacker. In fact, this is a great fit for both Kendricks and the Dallas Cowboys. Sure, Sean Lee is supposed to man this position, but having a security blanket is ideal.

Miller offered a great comparison for the young linebacker:

If the Cowboys do decide to take the best player available at the end of the first round, Kendricks should be the selection. Even with the need in the backfield, Jerry Jones won't sell the farm in the first round when he selected former Dallas running back DeMarco Murray in the third round in 2011.

Ryan Riddle of Bleacher Report notes one category where Kendricks thrived:

At just 6'0", Kendricks is a little undersized compared to Luke Kuechly and other great middle linebackers. However, the talent he brings to the field and his tackling ability make him an ideal pick for a Cowboys defense that still needs to improve. After all, they'll need to stop Murray now, something the rest of the NFC East was unable to do last year.

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