NFL Draft 2015: Latest 1st-Round Mock Draft and Potential Surprises to Watch

Surprises always highlight the NFL draft, and 2015 promises to be no different.

Remember last year, when Louisville product Teddy Bridgewater almost fell out of the first round before the Minnesota Vikings pulled off a trade to move up? Or when Johnny Manziel, the focus of most cameras in attendance, fell to the Cleveland Browns at No. 22?

This year things are even more unpredictable. There are only two quarterbacks to speak of, and the draft is strong in notable places such as pass-rusher and wideout.

Let's detail some potential surprises after a mock draft based on team need, prospect stock and value at each slot.

2015 NFL Mock Draft

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

Top Potential Surprises

Randy Gregory Goes Top 15

The NFL seems wiser these days about players with off-field problems. 

This could lead one to believe teams high in the first round will take a pass on Nebraska's Randy Gregory. He failed a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine and the class is deep at his particular spot, highlighted by Dante Fowler Jr., Shane Ray, Alvin Dupree and Vic Beasley.

Said belief might turn out to be wrong, though.

Yes, Gregory failed a drug test, and yes he weighed in too light at the combine at 6'5" and 235 pounds. But there's an allure to Gregory's raw skill set that teams may struggle to pass on at a position of need.

NFL Network's Mike Mayock put it best, as captured by USA Today's Jim Corbett:

It takes just one defensive coach to fall in love with Gregory, who touts all of the raw physical talent in the world to be an elite player.

A mind such as New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's has a reputation for getting the most out of his players, so perhaps the organization will pull the trigger at No. 13 in another effort to win a ring before Drew Brees hangs up his cleats.

Gregory's raw skills all over the field in Ryan's amoeba scheme has a nice ring to it, so don't be too shocked if the marriage comes to fruition.

Dolphins Double Dip at DT

It's easy to scoff at the thought of the Miami Dolphins spending No. 14 on a defensive tackle—the front office just backed a dump truck of cash to Ndamukong Suh's house, after all.

But since when does a team employing a 4-3 scheme get its hands on one solid tackle in the middle and call it a day? Recall that Suh's old team, the Detroit Lions, not only boasted Nick Fairley next to Suh but also brought in the criminally underrated C.J. Mosley to great effect.

Considering the Dolphins ranked 24th against the rush last year, the front office may be keen to follow the same strategy. A pair of strong tackles creates a great ripple effect on the rest of the unit.

Miami's roster doesn't feature a strong complement to Suh at the moment, so it makes sense for the team to take a strong look at Washington's Danny Shelton.

For his part, Shelton believes he's the best in class, per NFL Network:

NFL.com's Gil Brandt notes Shelton put on quite the show at Washington's pro day, saying, "Several NFL Media analysts project Shelton as a top-20 pick."

So while it is fun to think about getting Ryan Tannehill another wideout or grabbing one of the top two running backs in the class, the reality is the Dolphins may go all-in at the same position twice.

Denver Grabs Its Julius Thomas Replacement

It's no easy task to dissect the list of needs in Denver, where the Broncos need to upgrade a roster around Peyton Manning while waltzing a financial tightrope.

There are needs along the offensive line, it couldn't hurt to add a wideout and the defense could use more bodies at various spots.

The above makes for quite an unpredictable pick near the end of the round, though one outlier exists: tight end.

Yes, the team has reliable veteran Owen Daniels and the promising Virgil Green. But similar to the Saints, the Broncos may be content to throw everything it has behind Manning's final year(s), meaning someone like Minnesota's Maxx Williams is a strong likelihood.

If the Broncos want an upgrade and replacement for Julius Thomas, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, they may be content to nab the best tight end in a weak class as early as possible. NFL.com's Mike Huguenin explained the situation after Williams' pro day:

"

In short, Williams has made sure his decision to enter the draft after his redshirt sophomore season will pay off.

The draft advisory board actually recommended that Williams stay in school, and while Williams didn't explain why he chose to turn pro, the lack of depth at his position this year probably played a role. 

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Williams has the speed to stretch a defense deep in the same way Thomas did for the offense last year. He can also soak up targets at the first-down marker and force attention away from a wideout corps in transition.

When it comes right down to it, the Broncos getting predictable on draft day with Williams wouldn't be a surprise.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 10. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.