NFL Mock Draft 2015: 1st-Round Projections, Latest Top Prospects' Stock Watch

The only thing to do now is wait.

If only the remaining path to the 2015 NFL draft were so simple. The NFL Scouting Combine is in the books. So, too, are most individual pro days around the nation. Prospects will continue to meet with pro teams, but little of merit happens over the course of the next week.

Except for wild stock changes out of left field, of course. As folks dig deeper in one last surge, there are always late movers on the stock market ahead of the draft.

Below, let's examine a fresh mock draft with some new faces in the first round reflecting these changes. Need and value are the principal factors of each selection.

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	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
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)	Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
32	New England Patriots	Byron Jones, CB, UConn

Analyzing Stock Risers and Fallers

Rising: Nelson Agholor, WR, USC

It's almost hard to keep track of where the many wideouts stand in comparison to one another. 

Last year's class was something special, but this one may be even deeper thanks to six or seven names after the top two, Amari Cooper and Kevin White.

USC's Nelson Agholor is one such name.

For one reason or another, Agholor's stock has remained neutral at best while others around him move. Maybe it has something to do with the fact he projects as a slot receiver at the next level after hitting the combine at 6'0" and 198 pounds and running a 4.42-second 40-yard dash.

In today's NFL, there's nothing wrong with a receiver confined to a single role. As Sigmund Bloom of Footballguys.com points out, Agholor is one of those prospects whose stock will in large part alter based on the team at the podium:

Agholor will produce at an effective clip at the next level right out of the gates. It's all about the offense—just ask the Trojans, a team he helped last year with 104 catches for 1,313 yards and 12 scores.

A smooth route-runner with sure hands and a perfect fit for certain teams, Agholor's name seems to be making the rounds more than usual as of late. Expect him to sneak into the opening round.

Falling: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn

Remember when Sammie Coates was all the rage?

Coates was one of the combine's biggest winners. In Indianapolis, he weighed in at 6'1" and 212 pounds before putting on a freakish athletic display with 23 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, a 41-inch vertical jump and a 131-inch broad jump. 

The performance and his blatant upside were enough for some to label him a late first-round pick. Hype fades, though, and it has surrounding Coates' stock.

Jayson Braddock of KBME SportsTalk 790 put it best when asked about Coates:

On film, it's quite clear Coates struggles with dropped passes and can find it difficult to track the ball in the air.

While he's an elite athlete who can take the top off defenses, his limited route tree is something defenders will know how to deal with at the next level. Hence the following conclusion by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein:

"

Big, fast and raw. Vertical wide receiver with the ability to hit big plays and have dominant games. Coates must be coached to trust his quarterback and run through his deep routes in order to reach his potential. He has early round traits and late-round receiving skills right now, but the upside will be hard to pass on and could pay off in a big way. He will be tethered to the JUGS machine in rookie camp.

"

Few in the class who receive first-round hype are as raw as Coates. It's not a horrific thing, either, because the right coaching staff could unlock elite potential.

But for stock purposes, Coates figures to be a second-round pick at best. Teams want some degree of a sure thing in the first round, and other wideouts offer more of it in droves.

Rising: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

The great debate over whether a running back will sneak into the first round this season seems to begin and end with Georgia's Todd Gurley. 

Gurley wasn't able to do much else in Indianapolis other than weigh in at 6'1" and 222 pounds while he rehabbed a knee injury.

He didn't need to do much of anything, though, considering that on film, his elite vision and rare speed-power combo were sure to remind some of Marshawn Lynch at the collegiate level. His numbers speak for themselves:

YEAR	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
2014	123	911	7.4	9
2013	165	989	6.0	10
2012	222	1385	6.2	17

The biggest thing Gurley needed to do on the path to the draft, other than not suffer a setback, was show well at a medical recheck to prove his health.

According to CBS Sports' Dane Brugler, things went well:

It's hard to understate what this does for Gurley's stock. ESPN's Ed Werder put things into perspective before the recheck:

While running back may be a "dying" position and it makes loads of sense to stock up on them in later rounds, Gurley is a rare talent worth a first-round investment.

A team in need may see the light in the opening round with everything about the medical side of things checking out.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 22. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.