NFL Mock Draft 2015: 1st-Round Predictions and Prospects in Danger of Falling

It happens every year: Some NFL draft prospect rides a tidal wave of hype into the proceedings and then takes a tumble down the board.

Sometimes, the thoughts of the general public just don't match to the conclusions the NFL minds concoct. Other times, there are things never made public until after the fact.

No matter the reasoning, there are some surefire first-round talents this year, whom onlookers should circle in red as candidates for a major dip down the board.

Below, let's outline a first-round mock based on team need and prospect value based on how the board falls. Then, let's break down three names to remember on draft day when it comes to potential fallers.

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 in Danger of Falling on Draft Day

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma Sooners

It's impossible to ignore Dorial Green-Beckham.

DGB can walk in a room and force many to mistake him for Calvin Johnson, at a distance. From a physical standpoint, he might be the closest thing the league has seen since Megatron, weighing in at 6'5" and 237 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine.

There are off-field issues, though, which saw him leave the Missouri Tigers and join the Oklahoma Sooners before sitting last season out. He didn't appear rusty from an on-field standpoint in Indianapolis, but the red flags are enough to give someone, such as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, pause if he were in control of things:

"

If I were an NFL general manager, I wouldn't spend a top-15 pick on Green-Beckham, but I can understand how a team may want to do that. He's big, fast and talented, with big upside to improve in the NFL. He's also a big risk. If I'm calling the shots on draft day, DGB would be a Round 2 gamble.

"

Such is the conundrum with DGB. The off-field stuff is impossible to ignore, but on the field, his ability to beat smaller defensive backs with ease and readjust—often midair—with a ridiculous catch radius is tough to find.

DGB touts the talent of a top-15 pick, but so do other wideouts in the 2015 class, such as Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker and perhaps, a wildcard like Breshad Perriman.

A deep class may make it easier for teams to take a pass on DGB's issues in the first round.

Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota Gophers

John Raoux/Associated Press

At first, Maxx Williams seemed to have it all.

He was productive on a run-first team in college with the Minnesota Gophers, catching 36 passes for 569 yards and eight scores last season. Then, he hit the combine at 6'4" and 249 pounds and ran well in most athleticism drills, highlighted by a 4.78 40-yard-dash.

Even better, before his strong showing in Indianapolis, he was the consensus No. 1 tight end in what most consider a weak class.

Now, the negative reviews start to trickle in. Miller provided multiple accounts in the article linked above and posted the highlights on Twitter:

Talent and strong upside will see Williams off the board at some point, even more so in such a weak class, where Clive Walford from the Miami Hurricanes is the only other prospect to speak of in the first two rounds.

The longer the wait for the draft, though, the more it seems Williams won't be coming off the board as high as most would have figured, even a month ago.

Marcus Peters, CB, Washington Huskies

While hot on the redemption tour this offseason, it may not be enough for Marcus Peters. 

Peters, a player the Washington Huskies dismissed from the team last November over clashes with a new coaching staff, is by far the most talented corner in the draft on film.

On the path to the draft, Peters continues to be as transparent as possible with the media and NFL teams, blaming himself for the mistakes.

"It was an avalanche ready to happen, man. It was going to collapse sooner or later," Peters said, per USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. "I don't blame [Washington head coach Chris Petersen] for anything. All I can blame is myself, because I made those decisions and I have to live with them.”

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

It will be interesting to see how the league reacts, to say the least. Peters showed good size (6'0", 197 lbs) and athleticism at the combine, with NFL.com's Lance Zierlein concluding the following:

"

Talented cover cornerback with size, ball skills and the confidence NFL teams are looking for, but lacks the necessary discipline and maturity on the field and in practice. Peters has raw talent, but is far from a polished cornerback, and that is without taking the character concerns into consideration.

"

While Peters has been hard at work on the redemption tour, a somewhat shaky corner class worked its way to the top.

Kevin Johnson from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons now looks like a first-round candidate, as does Byron Jones from the Connecticut Huskies. It's becoming tougher to ignore the Utah Utes' Eric Rowe, not to mention the Michigan State Spartans' Trae Waynes still sitting near the top, too.

If teams don't want to take a gamble on Peters, he could be in for quite the fall on draft day. Before the combine and even a tad after, he appeared to be one of perhaps two first-round options.

Since, others have raised their stock. Where Peters stands now hinges on each team in the first round.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 20. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.