NFL Draft 2015: Latest Mock Draft, Projections for Difficult 1st-Round Decisions

The questions surrounding the NFL draft are only increasing in difficulty, which is typical for this time of the year. 

With the NFL Scouting Combine and most pro days in the rearview mirror, now is the time for over-analysis and second-guessing as the big day in Chicago approaches.

Most teams have draft boards set, and prospects can't do much else to raise stock (but they can lower it in the blink of an eye), so all parties and observers can do now is rake over everything with a fine comb to pass the time.

For teams, this means weighing the value of each team need and meshing it with the prospect stock market. Below is a combination of the two, followed by the toughest decisions of the opening round.

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	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
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	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
12	Cleveland Browns	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
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

Highlighting Round's Toughest Calls

Jameis Winston No. 1?

There are many ways the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could go with the No. 1 pick.

Florida State's Jameis Winston is one of them, but ponder the other possibilities for a moment. Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota is another, and USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams, perhaps the best defensive lineman to enter the league since Ndamukong Suh, would look mighty unfair next to Gerald McCoy.

Don't forget a trade down, either. Winston and Mariota are the only two starting NFL quarterbacks in a weak class, and the quarterback thirst in the league is real.

Still, expect Tampa Bay to stand pat and roll with Winston, risks and all. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora paints a convincing argument:

"

I would be fairly stunned if Tampa Bay did anything but take the Florida State quarterback. They have been investigating this for months and slowly building a case for taking him, off-field concerns and all, and I don't see anything short of Winston getting in trouble derailing this train. He's the most ready to play Week 1 and that will be the idea, with some decent pieces on offense already around him.

"

Tampa Bay has done perhaps more homework than any team in history when it comes to a single prospect, with the latest effort being a private workout with Winston, as the team captured on Twitter:

The mentioned thirst is why the Buccaneers won't pass on Winston. They could land loads of value in exchange for the No. 1 pick, sure, but what does that net them in the end?

This is a passing league and Winston can start right away. He also has room to grow. Look at the differences between the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. The former neglected quarterback at No. 1 and missed the playoffs; the latter took the blue-chip prospect when the opportunity presented itself and continues to prosper, despite the fact that other areas on the roster are lacking.

Winston comes with his risks, but the Buccaneers can't afford to fall into the quarterback-purgatory trap like so many others.

Prediction: Tampa Bay selects Jameis Winston No. 1.

Chicago's Wealth of Options

For quite a long time, it seemed the Chicago Bears would grab the top available pass-rusher at No. 7 and call it a day.

After all, the team only tallied 39 sacks last season. Jared Allen (5.5) and Jeremiah Ratliff (6.5) are both 33 years old and Willie Young (10.0) will be 30 next September. Shea McClellin, a first-round pick in 2012, recorded one sack.

It might not be so cut and dry, though.

The coaching staff may be content to wait until later to grab an edge piece for its new 3-4 look, and it might instead opt to help quarterback Jay Cutler.

Butch Dill/Associated Press

In the above scenario, the best way to do so is by grabbing Alabama wideout Amari Cooper.

He won't eliminate the void left by Brandon Marshall on his own, but Cooper was one of three Heisman finalists last season and just happened to change Nick Saban's mind about his run-first ways.

Cooper touts elite short-area quickness, which will help him create space at the pro level, whether he's cutting across the field or going deep. Add in sure hands and silky-smooth routes, and he seems like the perfect complement to Alshon Jeffery. 

Prediction: Chicago selects Amari Cooper at No. 7.

Facelift in Pittsburgh 

A new-look Pittsburgh Steelers will trot out of the tunnel this September, although who the team's first-round rookie happens to be is a great question.

It seemed Pittsburgh would grab an edge-rusher and call it a day, but Troy Polamalu's retirement, per Scout.com's Jim Wexell, throws a bit of a potential wrench in things.

Granted, the Steelers ranked 27th against the pass last year and Polamalu was the 48th-best safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus, so perhaps the first-round outlook doesn't change so much, despite the news.

As Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out, the team seems serious about a few areas in particular:

While the secondary seems to be the team's major need, more notable is the continued attention thrown at rushers.

After all, a solid pass rush makes the lives of everyone in a secondary easier—a ripple effect impossible to ignore. A lack of said rush hurt all involved last season, as the unit recorded just 33 sacks—5.5 of them coming from 36-year-old James Harrison.

Look for the Steelers to grab an elite edge-rushing prospect, such as Owamagbe Odighizuwa out of UCLA, who has everything a team such as Pittsburgh could want. His only flag is an iffy medical history.

It's a risk worth taking for the Steelers, owners of a defense in need of a quick fix.

Prediction: Pittsburgh selects Owamagbe Odighizuwa at No. 22.

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