2015 NFL Mock Draft: Predictions and High-Upside Prospects Worth the Wait

While fans always hope the NFL draft can turn around a team’s fortunes immediately, a number of prospects take a bit longer to develop.

Organizations go into the offseason knowing they must prepare not only for next season but future years down the line. As a result, it might be smarter to take a high-upside prospect who can be a star after a few years rather than just the best player at the moment.

Here is a look at a complete mock draft for the first round as well as a breakdown of some of the top players who might need some time to reach their potential.

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

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

If you needed one receiver to help your team next season, it would likely be Amari Cooper. The Alabama product is already an excellent route-runner with as much polish as you will ever see from a receiver that young.

Despite this fact, Kevin White still has a chance to be the top receiver taken in the draft due to his incredible upside. He already has an imposing physical presence at 6’3” and 215 pounds with the speed to run a 4.35 40-yard dash.

It’s also not like he doesn’t know how to play the position, as he put together a fine senior season while racking up 1,447 yards on 109 catches for the Mountaineers. He also fared well against top competition when he got a chance, as he told ESPN's First Take:

The key will be for me to turn his athleticism into becoming a complete receiver. If he can develop his routes and be more consistent catching the ball, White could easily become one of the top players in the NFL at his position.

Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson

John Raoux

You can find a little bit of everything in this draft if you are looking for defensive linemen.

Between versatile linemen like Leonard Williams, more polished pass-rushers like Dante Fowler or true defensive tackles like Danny Shelton, there will likely be a prospect to fit an immediate need on that side of the ball.

However, a team might end up better off taking a risk with Vic Beasley. Although he doesn’t quite have the best technique at this stage of his career, he has an explosive first step and all the tools necessary to become an elite pass-rusher at the next level.

With impressive athleticism as well, he could be a versatile contributor against the pass or run wherever he lines up on defense. Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated broke down the likely future of the young player:

In a deep class of defensive linemen, Beasley could end up being the best of the bunch.

Byron Jones, CB, UConn

Jessica Hill

There seems to be plenty of disagreement over which is the best cornerback in the class. Players like Trae Waynes, Marcus Peters, Kevin Johnson and others each have a claim due to various strengths in different aspects of the game.

However, Byron Jones could end up being the best of the bunch when all is said and done.

The former UConn star has the size (6'1" and 199 lbs) NFL scouts are looking for at the position after seeing the success of the Seattle Seahawks. He also has impressive closing speed that will help him stay with some of the faster receivers in the sport.

While some are wondering whether he can be more than just an elite athlete, many scouts are confident he will turn himself into a quality all-around player:

Although he was a bit inconsistent in his college career, he is still improving and has shown the instincts to be well above average in coverage.

If he ends up in the right situation, Jones has the tools to be a big-time player going forward.

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