NFL Draft Schedule 2015: Full TV Info, Live Stream and More for Event

The 2015 NFL draft has arrived. Chicago's Auditorium Theatre will serve as the site for Thursday's first-round proceedings, but for those unable to attend, both ESPN and the NFL Network have TV coverage available for all three days.

NFL.com will have live stream coverage of the draft, so fans won't have to miss any of their teams' picks if they have Internet access.

Such a tremendous amount of coverage is a testament to how big the NFL draft has become. Even when actual games aren't being played, pro football is the buzz of the North American sports world.

Below is the TV schedule for all three days of the draft, followed by a preview of what to expect in the first round.

Date	Rounds	Time (ET)	TV
April 30	1	8-11:30 p.m.	ESPN & NFL Network
May 1	2-3	7-11 p.m.	ESPN & NFL Network
May 2	4-7	12-7 p.m.	ESPN & NFL Network

2015 NFL Draft Round 1 Preview

With the wide expectation that Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the first pick in the draft, anything that goes down from there is anyone's guess.

Winston is more prepared to take on a pro-style offense than the other top quarterback prospect, Oregon's Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota. Still, Mariota is a sensational athlete and could go as high as second overall to the Tennessee Titans.

In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, Mariota implied that he would not be outworked by anyone:

One rumor reported in the video above by Bleacher Report insider Jason Cole is that Mariota could be headed to the San Diego Chargers in a hypothetical trade scenario. That would make for a huge draft-day splash, to say the least.

Another team possibly in the market for Mariota is the Cleveland Browns, owners of the 12th and 19th overall picks. They have the most ammunition of any QB-needy team to trade up and acquire him.

But the Browns drafted Johnny Manziel in the first round last year and had to move up to do so. And with less than two games under his belt and a stint in rehab to keep his off-field issues in check, no one really knows what Manziel will be.

Any chance Manziel has to succeed in Cleveland would likely come without Mariota creating further controversy. If Mariota needs time to adjust to a pro-style offense as it is, it's hard to see how he'd fit with the Browns at this point.

This draft class is loaded with edge-rushers, headlined by Clemson's all-time sack leader Vic Beasley and versatile Florida star Dante Fowler Jr. Both ought to be targeted in the top five by Jacksonville and Washington.

The best defensive player, though, may be USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller has him right with Fowler at the top:

Back on the offensive side of the ball, West Virginia receiver Kevin White is part of an extremely deep class at his position for the second year in a row. Alabama's Amari Cooper is a prime candidate to be the first pass-catcher off the board as well, but there's a ton of receiving talent for first-round teams to choose from.

While receivers and defensive backs ought to enjoy stock boosts by virtue of how pass-happy the modern NFL is, one big change from recent years is how elite some running backs are perceived to be.

No tailback has been chosen in the first round since 2012, but that figures to change this time around with either Georgia product Todd Gurley or Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon going off the board in the first 32.

ESPN draft guru Todd McShay had Gurley going No. 6 overall to the New York Jets in his fifth mock, despite coming off of a torn ACL. Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson didn't believe it to be outlandish:

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald suggests that the Miami Dolphins could be interested in Gordon as high as No. 14 overall:

So the elite ball-carriers are certainly throwing some possible curveballs into what conventional thinking has been about the NFL draft as of late. The trickle-down effect their first-round grades could create is massive and should be considered when getting a grasp on the bigger draft picture.

The absence of elite QB talent means that many teams may opt to go with the best player available on their boards. Variance with regard to how much certain front offices value running backs makes Gurley and Gordon even bigger wild cards.

Mariota is the most important player in this draft, provided the Bucs pass on him in favor of Winston at No. 1 overall.

Once the presumptive formality of Tampa Bay's pick comes and goes, the real drama of the 2015 NFL draft will kick in and should make for as memorable a first round as there's been in years.