Mel Kiper NFL Mock Draft 2015: Notable Picks from ESPN Guru's 4th Mock

With the 2015 NFL draft still a few weeks away, fans can only satiate their appetite for all things draft-related by reading how the experts are projecting the event to unfold.

Few names are more respected than ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. when it comes to draft prognostication. Each of his mocks are heavily anticipated by fans, so when he drops one, it always creates tons on buzz.

On Thursday morning, Kiper unveiled the fourth edition of his 2015 mock, and plenty of NFL fans are thoroughly analyzing each pick.

Here's a look at his first 32 picks, followed by quick breakdowns for three of his more notable selections.

Pick	Team	Player
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2	Tennessee Titans	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Williams, DE, USC
4	Oakland Raiders	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5	Washington Redskins	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
6	New York Jets	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
7	Chicago Bears	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
8	Atlanta Falcons	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
9	New York Giants	Shane Ray, OLB, Missouri
10	St. Louis Rams	Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
11	Minnesota Vikings	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
12	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
13	New Orleans Saints	Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
14	Miami Dolphins	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
16	Houston Texans	Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
17	San Diego Chargers	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
19	Cleveland Browns	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Landon Collins, S, Alabama
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
23	Detroit Lions	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
24	Arizona Cardinals	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
25	Carolina Panthers	D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26	Baltimore Ravens	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
27	Dallas Cowboys	Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
28	Denver Broncos	Cameron Erving, C, Florida State
29	Indianapolis Colts	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
30	Green Bay Packers	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
31	New Orleans Saints	Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
32	New England Patriots	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State

Teams Weighing Whether to Trade up for Marcus Mariota

In the third version of his 2015 mock draft, Kiper had Marcus Mariota going sixth overall to the New York Jets, which didn't represent any movement from where the reigning Heisman Trophy winner sat in Kiper's second mock.

On Thursday, Kiper put Mariota at No. 2, citing what he feels is an increased likelihood that somebody swaps picks with the Tennessee Titans.

"I don't project trades here," the draft guru wrote. "But in talking to people inside and outside the league, my sense is that Mariota is likely to be taken here—it's just hard to say which team is making the pick. Yes, it could be Tennessee, but it could be a handful of other teams if a deal gets done."

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported that the Cleveland Browns may be one team interested in moving up to get Mariota. They own the 12th and 19th overall picks, which Florio wrote would be the biggest assets heading Tennessee's way.

The Titans welcomed Mariota in for a pre-draft visit on Thursday, which only heightens the speculation that they might have the Oregon Ducks star on their radar:

Mariota would represent an upgrade at quarterback for Tennessee, but the Titans might be better off giving the impression that they want Mariota rather than actually drafting him. If they can make more teams believe that they're planning on taking Mariota, then they might be able to command more in a trade.

Cleveland Browns Look to Exorcise Draft Demons

The last time the Browns took a running back in the first round, the pick was used on Trent Richardson. Richardson was one-half of Cleveland's first-round outlay in 2011, with Brandon Weeden rounding out a disastrous opening salvo for the franchise.

Although the Browns flipped Richardson for a first-rounder from the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland used the Colts' pick in a draft-day trade that saw the arrival of Johnny Manziel, so in a sense, Richardson could still haunt the Browns years after his departure.

Kiper has Cleveland going back to the running back well this year with Todd Gurley.

Everybody is aware of the injury concerns with Gurley. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament last November and has been rehabbing ever since. His talent isn't in doubt. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport spoke with an NFL scout who compared Gurley favorably to Adrian Peterson:

The question is where Gurley's knee is at and if it will limit him in the NFL.

Yahoo Sports' Rand Getlin believes that the former Georgia Bulldog has a great chance to be taken ahead of Melvin Gordon in the first round:

Sports medicine expert Will Carroll added that many NFL teams are encouraged rather than discouraged about Gurley's rehab:

The Browns already have Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West, so running back isn't necessarily a position of need for the team.

However, if you get the chance to draft a running back who could potentially be the next Adrian Peterson, that's a chance you can't let get away.

What's Better than One Great Defensive Tackle? Two Great Defensive Tackles

The Miami Dolphins made the biggest splash of the offseason, giving $114 million, including $60 million guaranteed, to Ndamukong Suh. With the move, Miami is showing that it's tired of being a good team that's not quite good enough to make the playoffs.

As Kiper notes in his mock, though, the Dolphins don't have a ton of depth at defensive tackle. That's why he has them selecting Danny Shelton 14th overall.

As if the presence of Suh and Nick Fairley together wasn't enough to scare opposing teams, Suh and Shelton would potentially be an even more devastating combination.

The Washington Huskies defensive tackle recently competed in his school's pro day. Shelton believed that the event proved that he's the best on the board at his position:

His performance likely won't result in his stock skyrocketing, mostly because his stock can't get much higher than it is now. Shelton's pro day was notable particularly for his decision to wear a lavalava, which added a cool element, per Lindsay Rhodes of NFL Network:

Although the Dolphins spent big to add Suh, drafting Shelton would make sense. Much like Fairley, Shelton would be a great partner for Suh, since his and Suh's styles would complement each other very well. Shelton isn't a terrible pass-rusher, but his value is unquestionably in his run defense, whereas Suh really excels getting after the quarterback.