2015 NFL Draft: Selection Order and Prospects to Watch in 1st Round

Although the NFL offseason has been extremely entertaining to this point, it will reach a fever pitch April 30 when all 32 franchises converge on Chicago for the highly anticipated 2015 NFL draft.

Football fans and pundits alike have had some level of focus on the draft ever since the latter stages of the 2014 regular season, but now that it is finally on the horizon, it is the talk of the sports world. The draft has developed into a massive entity over the years, and the 2015 edition is as exciting as any in recent memory.

With so many talented prospects in the class and question marks surrounding where they'll ultimately land, the first round of the draft promises to be compelling television.

Here is a rundown of where every team will be selecting in the opening round as well as some further analysis regarding the top prospects available in the 2015 draft.

Pick	Team
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2	Tennessee Titans
3	Jacksonville Jaguars
4	Oakland Raiders
5	Washington Redskins
6	New York Jets
7	Chicago Bears
8	Atlanta Falcons
9	New York Giants
10	St. Louis Rams
11	Minnesota Vikings
12	Cleveland Browns
13	New Orleans Saints
14	Miami Dolphins
15	San Francisco 49ers
16	Houston Texans
17	San Diego Chargers
18	Kansas City Chiefs
19	Cleveland Browns (from BUF)
20	Philadelphia Eagles
21	Cincinnati Bengals
22	Pittsburgh Steelers
23	Detroit Lions
24	Arizona Cardinals
25	Carolina Panthers
26	Baltimore Ravens
27	Dallas Cowboys
28	Denver Broncos
29	Indianapolis Colts
30	Green Bay Packers
31	New Orleans Saints (from SEA)
32	New England Patriots

Top Prospects to Watch

Jameis Winston

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers desperately need a quarterback, and all signs point toward them selecting one with the No. 1 overall selection. While Oregon's Marcus Mariota is certainly an option, much of the talk has focused on former Florida State signal-caller Jameis Winston.

He has all the physical tools needed to be a star in the NFL, and he is a proven winner as well. Winston won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman, and he also led the Seminoles to an undefeated season that culminated in a national title. There are few concerns regarding Winston from an on-field perspective, but the same can't be said for him off the field.

Winston made his fair share of mistakes during his time at FSU, and even his attorney acknowledges that he is a work in progress, according to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer:

NFL teams always do their due diligence regarding prospects they are interested in, though, which means that whichever organization comes away with Winston will be at least somewhat comfortable with him from a character perspective.

In fact, Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei is hearing that franchises feel much better about Winston in that regard after meeting with him:

There is a risk involved with drafting Winston, but he is so talented that the Bucs are likely to decide that he is well worth it.

Tampa could become a contender in short order if Winston lives up to his potential as a player, and that makes him the leader in the clubhouse as it relates to the No. 1 overall pick.

Marcus Mariota

Winston may be viewed as the quarterback with the best chance at NFL success in this year's draft class, but Mariota could very well become a star in his own right.

The Oregon product is coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign, and while many will argue that he was the product of a system that allowed him to pile up yardage and touchdowns, no signal-caller in college football was more productive than Mariota over the past three seasons.

In fact, his QBR in all three years with the Ducks ranked inside the top 20 among major college football quarterbacks since 2004, according to Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders:

It is difficult to predict if that will translate to the NFL, which is representative of just how tough it is to project quarterbacks in general. Winston (6'4", 231 lbs) seems like a safer pick from an on-field perspective since he is a big pocket passer with a powerful arm, but that doesn't mean Mariota can't be successful.

From an overall perspective, we could argue that Mariota is the safer pick due to the fact that he has absolutely no character issues, as pointed out by Ross Tucker of NBCSN:

Players shouldn't be drafted based solely on how good they are as people off the field, but it is definitely a factor that teams pay attention to.

It could cause the Bucs to consider selecting Mariota over Winston, but if they ultimately decide that Winston is their guy, then Mariota becomes an option for the Tennessee Titans at No. 2.

The Titans desperately need an answer under center, as do the New York Jets at No. 6. The Chicago Bears at No. 7 and St. Louis Rams at No. 10 are also options, but Mariota could just as easily experience a fall down the draft board like so many quarterbacks have in the past.

He is perhaps the biggest wild card in the 2015 draft, and his status could very well impact the overall outlook of the first round.

Leonard Williams

While much of the hype entering the 2015 NFL draft centers on the top quarterbacks, USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams is arguably the best overall prospect available.

He almost certainly won't be taken with the first pick due to Tampa's need for a quarterback, and the Titans could very well pass him up in favor of a quarterback at No. 2 as well. Williams will be an option for essentially every team thereafter, but pinpointing where he'll land is no easy task.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay believes Williams could fall as far as No. 7 to the Bears, in which case Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times believes they would rush to the podium:

It won't be easy for teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 3, Oakland Raiders at No. 4 or Washington Redskins at No. 5 to pass Williams up, but it could happen since they all have other needs, and better fits could potentially be on the board.

As pointed out by USC head coach Steve Sarkisian, though, Williams has an innate ability to make an impact regardless of what system he is placed in, per Pat Kirwan of CBS Sports:

Having a great quarterback is almost a necessity when it comes to competing for a championship in the NFL, but there is a great deal of risk involved with selecting one early in the draft. The same can't be said for a player of Williams' ilk.

He could develop into a perennial All-Pro selection in a best-case scenario, but even at his worst, it is tough to imagine Williams being a complete bust.

Although the former Trojans star may not be as flashy of a pick as Winston or Mariota, the team that ends up with him will undoubtedly be thrilled to land a possible instant star along the defensive line.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.