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

Major League Baseball's Opening Day may get all the credit, but the real sign that spring has arrived on the sports calendar is the NFL draft.

The hopes of franchises around the league bloom with the flowers as some of the nation’s top prospects provide optimism for the future. After all, with so much parity in the league, an impressive draft or two is all it takes to turn an NFL team's fortunes around.

With that in mind, here is a look at an entire first-round mock draft as well as a few intriguing prospects to watch as April 30 approaches.

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

Players to Watch

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

Amari Cooper may be the more recognizable wide receiver name among college football fans who watched Alabama make the inaugural College Football Playoff, but West Virginia’s Kevin White has other ideas about that, per Mike Huguenin of NFL.com:

"

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 just, 'OK, let's shut Kevin White down.' They have a lot of attention toward me.

"

NFL scouts and front offices love that type of confidence, and there is legitimate merit behind it.

All White did was tally 109 receptions for 1,447 yards and top the 100-yard mark in the first seven games of West Virginia’s season in 2014. He was a one-man wrecking crew at times for the Mountaineers and opened up the rest of the field for his teammates as defenses had to tailor their game plans around slowing him down.

He also has an NFL frame to go with the production at 6’3” and 215 pounds. White is an ideal red-zone target who brings incredible athleticism to the table that helps him go up and get the ball at its highest point. He also has enough speed to beat cornerbacks deep and is physical enough to create space underneath and outmuscle defenders on shorter routes.

Teams can’t go wrong with either receiver in this draft, but White’s ceiling will entice a squad in the top five to take him before Cooper.

Danny Shelton, DT, Washington

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

All Danny Shelton did at Washington last season was lead the nation in fumble recoveries (five) and terrorize Pac-12 quarterbacks and running backs every Saturday.

His NFL.com draft profile certainly paints an enticing picture, as draft analyst Lance Zierlein writes:

"

Bends well for a big man and has ability to play with leverage. Space-eater who is able to maintain good positioning against double teams. Consistently gets his hands inside offensive linemen first. Controls, sees it and sheds to make tackles. Surprising ability to swat cut blocks and chase stretch plays laterally. Played a high percentage of Washington's defensive snaps. Has the strength and athleticism to dominate in the running game.

"

Today’s game is so offensively oriented that it's almost impossible to stop passing attacks with one-on-one coverage from the corners unless those corners are elite playmakers. That is why pressure up front from defensive linemen like Shelton is so critical, because it allows more defenders to drop into coverage and stop the pass.

Shelton consistently occupies multiple blockers at once and frees up his teammates to make plays in space. He is also a potentially dominant force against the run because of his size—6’2” and 339 pounds—and overall athletic ability. He may not be the one making the tackle, but he creates penetration with his push up front and opens up holes for linebackers to bring the running back down. 

As if that’s not enough, he started his final 40 games at nose tackle and demonstrated durability that should transfer to the next level.

Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami

The first thing that jumps out about Ereck Flowers is his sheer size at 6’6” and 329 pounds. In a draft that is deep at the offensive tackle position with solid players who could hear their names called in the middle of the first round, Flowers has the chance to go before everyone else at his position.

It is no surprise given his size that Flowers absolutely mauls people, especially in the running game. He is a physically imposing brute force who creates openings for running backs and can get to the second level of the defense with relative ease.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

He also brings nimble footwork and athleticism for his size to the table, which helps him cover ground laterally and protect his quarterback on passing plays. Flowers is more than capable of playing both tackle spots as well, which is the kind of versatility that's necessary to compete for playing time right away at the next level.

NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock believes Flowers has a real chance to be a future Pro Bowler, per Huguenin in a separate piece. 

There are likely several NFL teams that would love to have a player like that as an anchor to the offensive line for years to come.

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