NFL Mock Draft 2015: Projections and Best Fits for Prospects After Free Agency

Without question, NFL free agency absolutely reshaped this year's draft. Multiple teams were able to sign players to fill holes at several positions, allowing them to focus on other areas or simply selecting the top player on the board when they pick. 

The Miami Dolphins don't need to focus on defensive tackle when they draft, for instance, after signing Ndamukong Suh. The Kansas City Chiefs don't need to necessarily go after a wideout after signing Jeremy Maclin. The Philadelphia Eagles replaced LeSean McCoy with DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, so they're covered. 

Free agency has changed the board. But there are plenty of team needs still to be filled and a strong crop of prospects atop the draft to address those needs.

Below, you'll find a full mock draft outlining the players that will end up being taken in the first round, along with a breakdown of the best fits for teams and players in the first 32 picks. Obviously, most players could be considered a great fit for teams like the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots, because any player would want to play for those organizations, but I'll try to marry the best fit for players considering where they could realistically be selected. 

Pick	Team	Player
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Leonard Williams, DT, USC
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
4	Oakland Raiders	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5	Washington	Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon Ducks
7	Chicago Bears	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, 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	Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
14	Miami Dolphins	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
16	Houston Texans	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
17	San Diego Chargers	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
18	Kansas City Chiefs	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
19	Cleveland Browns	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Landon Collins, S, Alabama
21	Cincinnati Bengals	T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
25	Carolina Panthers	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
26	Baltimore Ravens	Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
27	Dallas Cowboys	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
28	Denver Broncos	Cameron Erving, OT, Florida State
29	Indianapolis Colts	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
30	Green Bay Packers	Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
31	New Orleans Saints	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
32	New England Patriots	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri/Oklahoma

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: Chicago Bears

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Really, any of the top three wideouts on the board would probably love to end up in Chicago. There are plenty of reasons for that.

• A proven, veteran quarterback in Jay Cutler.
• A No. 1 wideout in Alshon Jeffery who will attract a lot of attention and ensure the player opposite of him isn't regularly double-teamed.
• A running back in Matt Forte who also has to be accounted for in the passing game.
• A tight end in Martellus Bennett who will get the tough yards over the middle.
• An offensive coordinator in Adam Gase who had great success paired with Peyton Manning and will breathe new life into the team's passing attack.

White certainly isn't a like-for-like replacement for Brandon Marshall in Chicago, but he would be a dynamic addition, giving the Bears two receivers who can both stretch the field and go up and get the ball in the red zone. White's athleticism and length should quickly make him a favorite target of Cutler. 

He also thinks he's the best wideout in this draft, as he told PFT on NBCSN (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk):

"

Amari Cooper is a great receiver, a great competitor, but I think I bring a lot more to the table. He’s at Alabama with Nick Saban. They have a whole bunch of other tools that help him out where he’s not getting double covered. A lot of attention is not just strictly on Amari Cooper… On West Virginia it’s 'OK, let’s shut Kevin White down.' They have a lot of attention toward me.

"

Maybe he's better than Cooper, maybe not. Cooper is certainly the more polished receiver, surely, and seems a safer option, which is why I have him higher on my board. But you have to think the potential marriage between White and the Bears would be a very, very fruitful one.

Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska: Pittsburgh Steelers 

Randy Gregory is going to drop in the draft. He just is. He's got a big red flag next to his name after failing a drug test and, quite frankly, there were some questions about his technique and frame in the first place.

Still, the main concern will be that drug test, as Jason Cole told Bleacher Report SXM:

But man, would Pittsburgh be the ideal fit. Every year, the Steelers seem to find a player who dropped a bit far or had some issues and turn him into a solid contributor. The team has options at outside linebacker, so Gregory wouldn't need to be a three-down starter right off the bat, giving him time to develop.  

Will he drop that far? I wouldn't be surprised. Some teams will probably take him off their board altogether. Pittsburgh won't be one of those teams.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin: Dallas Cowboys

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Any running back would love to play for Dallas. The team has arguably the best run-blocking offensive line in the NFL and a passing game with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams and Jason Witten that doesn't allow opponents to stack the box.

Melvin Gordon would be a different runner than DeMarco Murray, but his explosive, home-run hitting ability would likely result in a lot of very long runs for Gordon. He'll certainly be a pretty high pick for fantasy football players if he ends up in Dallas.  

I just don't see the Cowboys giving up assets and paying a ton of money to bring Adrian Peterson aboard when a player like Melvin Gordon likely will be sitting on the board for them. It really would be a great fit for both team and player, and Gordon would easily eclipse 1,000 yards next year behind this offensive line.