NFL Draft 2015: Latest Mock Draft for Marquee 1st-Round Prospects

The 2015 NFL draft is nearly a week away. Try not to pinch yourself—you're not dreaming.

As is the case every year, it seems as if the 2015 class has been among the biggest talk in the NFL since the college football season was taking place. The talk has only gotten louder as the predraft season has worn on, and it has gone in seemingly every direction.

Thankfully, the dizziness that tends to come this time of year is about over. Come Thursday night in Chicago, 32 names will be called to put to shame the thousands upon thousands of mock drafts. Let's go ahead and give it one final go before then, as we predict landing spots for the first-round picks.

2015 NFL First-Round Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
2	Tennessee Titans	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Dante Fowler, DE/OLB, Florida
4	Oakland Raiders	Leonard Williams, DT, USC
5	Washington Redskins	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
7	Chicago Bears	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	Landon Collins, S, Alabama
10	St. Louis Rams	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
11	Minnesota Vikings	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
12	Cleveland Browns	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
13	New Orleans Saints	Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska
14	Miami Dolphins	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
15	San Francisco 49ers	Arik Armstead, DT/DE, Oregon
16	Houston Texans	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
17	San Diego Chargers	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky
23	Detroit Lions	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
24	Arizona Cardinals	Eddie Goldman, DT, FSU
25	Carolina Panthers	D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26	Baltimore Ravens	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
27	Dallas Cowboys	P.J. Williams, CB, FSU
28	Denver Broncos	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
29	Indianapolis Colts	Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
30	Green Bay Packers	Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami
31	New Orleans Saints (via Seattle)	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
32	New England Patriots	Cameron Erving, C, FSU

2. Tennessee Titans: QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

The Tennessee Titans are in a more precarious situation than most who picked No. 2 overall in the past found themselves in.

Second-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt believes he has found a diamond in the rough with quarterback Zach Mettenberger, but largely has only five losses and injury troubles amid a 2-14 season to show for it. With as much promise as Mettenberger has shown, it's fair to wonder whether he's the franchise signal-caller of the future.

The same might be wondered of Oregon's Marcus Mariota, but to compare the two gambles is foolish. Teams passed on Mettenberger for six rounds last year. They're falling over themselves to trade spots with the Titans and get Mariota.

If everything stands pat and Mariota and Jameis Winston are both drafted early, though, we'll have an exciting Week 1 matchup as ESPN's Adam Schefter noted:

Mariota doesn't fit seamlessly into Whisenhunt's passing attack. The Titans are probably going to give Mettenberger a shot to win the job even if Mariota is drafted. Those are all strong reasons why the Titans should go with the top defensive player, but it's not enough to overshadow what Tennessee could accrue from a desperate team after landing Mariota.

His name will be announced No. 2 overall, but it's just not certain as to which team that will be.

17. San Diego Chargers: DT Danny Shelton, Washington

While the San Diego Chargers may be one team interested in Mariota's services, they are also in a position to land a player in the middle of Round 1 who can change their defense.

Not on the same plane as top-pick prospect Leonard Williams of USC, Shelton uses his massive size to bully opponents in the trenches. Shelton is 6'2", 339 pounds and uses shocking agility to rip through opposing linemen.

His potential impact from Day 1 has made him an enticing mid-round prospect. He is well aware of this status, after lobbying for the Browns to select him No. 12 overall, per Bleacher Report SXM:

There's no doubt that a player like Shelton is much needed in the Chargers' defense. Last season, San Diego ranked fourth-worst in the NFL by allowing 4.5 yards per carry, per Pro-Football-Reference.com.

It's not an overreaction to say Shelton will single-handedly change that.

31. New Orleans Saints: WR Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri

It's not often that a player with a chance to be the best in the class—at any position—falls to late in the first round or perhaps lower, but Dorial Green-Beckham is just that type of prospect.

Lauded as the top prospect in the nation when he spurned a number of elite schools to stay home and go to Missouri, Green-Beckham played two seasons with the Tigers and showcased glimpses of talent much like Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson along with flashes of inexperience. 

It's been a long road for Green-Beckham, who has battled off-field issues that got him kicked off Missouri's team in 2014. Bleacher Report's Lars Anderson crafted an in-depth piece on DGB's life story:

There's inherent risk with any player whose athletic ability far exceeds his off-field decisions. However, not only has Green-Beckham refocused his life following a year on the scout team at Oklahoma, but he's had more time to realize his vast football potential.

If DGB falls all the way to the Saints at No. 31, they will feel awfully good about that Jimmy Graham trade as Drew Brees finds his next go-to guy.