2015 NFL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Overlooked Prospects to Watch

Spring is about renewed hope in the sports calendar, be it Opening Day in baseball, the start of the NBA playoffs where every series starts tied at zero, spring football in the college ranks where everyone has the same record or the NFL draft.

The NFL draft in particular is cause for optimism because it is when football fans across the country envision their team’s selections as the key missing ingredients in future Super Bowl runs to come.

While plenty of first-round draft picks will undoubtedly be given opportunities to play right away, there are a number of under-the-radar prospects in this year’s draft who will make an impact as rookies and beyond. With that in mind, here is a look at a complete first-round mock draft as well as some overlooked prospects to watch in the later rounds.

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

Overlooked Prospects to Watch

Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Not every team that needs quarterback depth is going to get the chance to land Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. Fortunately for those squads, someone like Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson will be available in the later rounds.

All Grayson did last season was throw for 4,006 yards, 32 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. His Colorado State team only lost two games during the regular season, largely because he put the offense on his back and directed one of the most lethal attacks in the country.

Grayson is not a runner, but he demonstrates an innate ability to evade rushers in the pocket and either reset his feet and throw or hit receivers on the move. He doesn’t boast elite arm strength, but he showed formidable accuracy and touch on his deep balls throughout the season.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

There is some concern with the level of competition he faced in college, but he did throw for 434 yards and three touchdowns against Boise State early in 2014 campaign. 

Grayson may not be a future franchise quarterback, but he has impressive accuracy and footwork and will provide some much-needed depth for a team looking for a reliable backup option who can start if necessary. You could do much worse in the middle rounds of the draft.

Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

It’s all about the physical skill set with Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman.

He finished the 2014 season with 1,044 receiving yards, nine touchdowns and an impressive 20.9 yards-per-catch average. He is a game-breaker type of player on the outside and is a threat to take it the distance any time he gets his hands on the ball.

Perriman is also a 6’2” red-zone target who will outleap and outmuscle smaller cornerbacks for lob throws in the corner.

His NFL.com draft profile certainly paints an enticing picture:

"

Height, weight and speed numbers that every team covets. Quick accelerator off the snap and destroys the cushion, forcing cornerbacks into "turn-and-run" mode. More sudden than most big receivers. Able to break routes off sharply or go from stop to start instantly. Consistent separation at top of his route. Always gets over the top of cornerbacks on verticals. Varies route speed and has ability to body up and box out smaller cornerbacks downfield. Explosive leaper with timing and catch radius to make the difficult catches look easy.

"

Does that sound like someone who can make it at the next level?

John Raoux/Associated Press

It is easy to get caught up in where some of these prospects played college football, but physical traits translate to the next level regardless of the previous level of competition. Playing at Central Florida certainly worked out alright for wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Between his size, speed and physicality, Perriman has all the traits NFL squads are looking for at the wide receiver position. He will be a steal in the second round or later for a team looking for an explosive playmaker.

Nate Orchard, DE, Utah

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

This draft is loaded with elite edge-rushers who will hear their names called early in the first round. Nate Orchard is an under-the-radar option for teams looking for help in that department a bit later in the draft.

Orchard certainly wasn’t under the radar in the Pac-12 last season when he led all FBS players and set a Utah school record with 18.5 sacks. He also tallied a nation-best 28 quarterback knockdowns.

It is impossible to argue with those numbers, and he accumulated them in a league filled with potential pros at quarterback.

Between his explosive quickness off the snap, impressive inside moves and the ability to shed blocks and pursue running backs in the backfield, Orchard has the opportunity to step in and play right away at the next level.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

He is also willing to fill in where needed given his comments leading up to the draft, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com: “A transition to outside linebackers wouldn’t be a problem because I’ve been dropping into coverage a lot…Throughout my career I did a good bit of dropping [into coverage]. I’d say probably a good 10 to 15 times a game.”  

Orchard can play multiple positions and is fresh off a monster season production-wise at the college level. He is the type of player who can fill out a draft class in the middle rounds as a future defensive starter in the NFL.

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