NFL Draft 2015: Mock Draft and Potential Surprise 1st-Round Picks to Watch

An aura of team need and varying evaluations tends to make the NFL draft one of the most unpredictable events in sports.

The first round exemplifies this, where the old adage "it only takes one team to take a Marcus Smith at No. 26" rings true each year.

All right, the second half of the adage is extreme, but each year, there are a few of those prospects such as Smith who sneak into the first round. Not that they aren't deserving, but a lack of depth in the class or pro evaluations differing from public perception in a big way creates the surprise factor.

In what many consider one of the most unpredictable classes in recent memory, a few Smiths are bound to slip through the cracks.

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

Potential Surprise 1st-Round Picks to Watch

Byron Jones, CB, UConn 

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Most of the globe didn't know about Byron Jones before the NFL Scouting Combine. 

He made sure to wake everyone up, posting top-tier numbers in the vertical jump (44.5 inches), broad jump (147.0), three-cone drill (6.78 seconds), 20-yard shuttle (3.94) and 60-yard shuttle (10.98) after weighing in at 6'1" and 199 pounds.

Jones is a world-class athlete with perfect size to play corner at the next level, hence draft experts insisting he stay there, per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly:

Jones needed to boost his stock after playing on a lesser-known team last year and missing time with an injury. Suffice it to say, he did by showcasing a physical skill set coaches cannot teach.

They can, however, capitalize on his athleticism and blatant strong instincts to in time make him a great every-down player. In the 2015 class, Jones is right there with Trae Waynes, Kevin Johnson and Marcus Peters, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise if he slips into the opening round based on the importance of the position these days.

Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

What, think offensive guards can't go in the first round these days? 

Try saying that to Zack Martin. Or Chance Warmack. Or David DeCastro and Kevin Zeitler.

To be fair, Laken Tomlinson sticks out like a sore thumb on the list of draft attendees this year, as captured by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

Tomlinson's name is there for a reason, though. 

He hit the combine at 6'3" and 323 pounds before further showcasing his bulldozing ability in the ground game with strong drills. A four-year starter, Tomlinson has the experience and productivity to start on a pro line if the scheme fit is right.

While there are knocks on Tomlinson's athleticism, even an AFC general manager admits to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein performance outweighs measurables: "He was really impressive matching up against true power players at the Senior Bowl. He made Danny Shelton quit on a couple of reps when he couldn't get any push against Tomlinson."

South Carolina's A.J. Cann is the only other guard who could come off the board in the first round. Tomlinson may outright surpass him or at least join him, though, thanks to his fit in certain schemes.

Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA

Does anyone want to dismiss a quarterback such as Brett Hundley for the first round?

This is the league capable of making Tim Tebow a first-round pick, after all.

Hundley is a quality prospect in need of the right fit. In Indianapolis, he came in at 6'3" and 226 pounds before ranking among the best at his position in every drill he ran, highlighted by a 4.63 40-yard dash and 120.0-inch broad jump.

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

Last year, Hundley completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,155 yards and 22 scores to five picks. He also ran for 644 yards and 10 scores.

The thing with Hundley is his fit. Thanks to his rushing prowess, he figures to run a read-option attack pretty well at the next level. An offense such as Cincinnati's, which is of the quick-hitting variety with decisions made before the ball is snapped, would do him well.

As Rapoport notes, Cincinnati and many others are at least doing their due diligence:

There's no quarterbacks to speak of after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota other than Hundley. It's ill-advised to throw him to the wolves right away, but if he lands in the right situation, he could blossom.

The state of the league says Hundley can be a first-round pick. It helps that quarterback-needy teams such as the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints have multiple picks in the opening round. Don't forget about other potential surprise teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers, either.

In general, just don't forget Hundley's name. The skill set is there, and so is the league thirst.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 18. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.