2015 NFL Draft: 1st-Round Order and Prospects Worth an Early Gamble

The first round of the 2015 NFL draft seems to present more gambles than ever.

Whereas last year was rather straightforward, this year's major risks start right at the top with Florida State's Jameis Winston and work their way down the board.

While it seems a given Winston comes off the board at one of the top two selections, he is far from the only prospect with issues teams should feel comfortable taking in the first round.

Below, let's take a look at an updated mock draft and highlight a few players with red flags well worth the first-round investment.

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

Prospects Worth a Gamble 

Marcus Peters, CB, Washington

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Marcus Peters' redemption tour is about over as the NFL draft nears.

Kicked off the Washington football team last year, one NFL team will land a player with a major red flag who doubles as the best cover corner in the draft.

The thing is, there are those who shine a different light on Peters' arguments with the new coaching staff at Washington. Joel Klatt of Fox Sports explains: "That isn't consistent with a player that has 'red flags' for character. If anything, you could say that Marcus cared too much and wanted to win right away, which was his downfall with a new staff trying to build a new culture."

If NFL teams can look past the issue, Peters is a prototype for the position, coming in at 6'0" and 197 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. He's long, athletic in short and long bursts and touts great instincts.

Reviews of his performance at his pro day say it all, per The Seattle Times:

In a weak cornerback class, Peters sticks out in a big way as the most talented from an on-field standpoint.

If a team believes he checked out in interviews and has turned a corner, he's perhaps the safest gamble of all in the class.

Landon Collins, S, Alabama

For as weak as corner looks at the top, or at least unpredictable, safety is much worse. 

Landon Collins is the only first-round prospect worth a mention. Even he isn't a lock, though, with the NFL preferring safeties who can play center field to combat the pass-happy nature of today's offenses. 

Collins is an in-the-box safety at heart, a thumper who brings the hammer against the rush and little else. A report by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein sums things up:

"

Collins is a tempo-setter who can energize a defense with his downhill, aggressive style. He is at his best when he can attack rather than sit back in coverage and process. Collins' tackling, pursuit angles and speed to the sideline can help a defense shut down rushing attacks, but his inconsistencies in coverage will be tested by NFL offenses. 

"

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller offers a thought on Collins' stock range and future output:

It almost takes a niche team these days to gamble on Collins, though. While he came in at 6'0" and 228 pounds and ran a ridiculous 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the combine, the speed numbers don't translate to playing the pass.

The team willing to take a gamble understands what it receives, though, and the boost provided by a big-hitting safety for overall defensive morale is difficult to ignore—just ask the Seattle Seahawks thanks to Kam Chancellor.

Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska

Rumblings about red flags surrounding Randy Gregory came unglued not too long ago when the NFL combine revealed he failed a drug test in Indianapolis.

Teams tend to scoff whenever a prospect does this and take him off the board. Young draft hopefuls make mistakes all the time, but failing a well-known drug test in Indianapolis suggests a lack of control or maturity.

Adding to Gregory's problems was a 6'5" and 235-pound measurement at the combine, too light for a player who figured to put his hand in the dirt at the next level to provide a rush.

Still, analysis by NFL Network's Mike Mayock, per NFL Media PR, says it all:

"He's super raw, but those physical tools are through the roof," an NFC scouting director told Zierlein. "That's why you pay coaches."

It takes just one team to believe in Gregory's physical tools to prevent him from a serious fall on draft day. 

Given Gregory's natural talent and ability to use his burst to apply a rush right away, he's worth the gamble by the right team with a coaching staff equipped to squeeze the absolute most out of his abilities.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 13. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.