NFL Mock Draft 2015: 1st-Round Projections and Receiving Prospects on the Rise

The 2015 NFL draft is shaping up to be an interesting event, and with less than a week to go until Round 1, there is still plenty of uncertainty.

One thing we can be fairly certain of, however, is that teams lacking offensive firepower are likely to be interested in this year's crop of rookie pass-catchers.

Guys like Mike Evans (1,051 yards, 12 touchdowns), Sammy Watkins (982 yards and six TD) and Odell Beckham Jr. (1,305 yards and 12 TD) showed last season that first-year players can definitely have an immediate impact on a passing game.

This is precisely why a handful of wide receiver prospects are likely to hear their names called on Thursday night.

The general consensus seems to be that Alabama's Amari Cooper and West Virginia's Kevin White are the top two prospects this year. However, Louisville's DeVante Parker seems to be close behind in terms of potential, and guys like Jaelen Strong of Arizona State and Breshad Perriman of UCF are starting to look like potential first-round selections.

Even prospects such as Phillip Dorsett of Miami and USC's Nelson Agholor are starting to creep into the conversation. 

Teams obviously don't want to miss out on the next great NFL receiving weapon, so there will likely be at least some temptation to pull the trigger early on a pass-catcher in this draft.

With this knowledge in mind, let's take a look at some of the rising receiver prospects and how they could impact the way things unfold on the first night of the 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	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
6	New York Jets	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
7	Chicago Bears	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
8	Atlanta Falcons	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
9	New York Giants	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
10	St. Louis Rams	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
11	Minnesota Vikings	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
12	Cleveland Browns	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
13	New Orleans Saints	Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
14	Miami Dolphins	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
16	Houston Texans	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
17	San Diego Chargers	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
19	Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo)	La'el Collins, OT, LSU
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
25	Carolina Panthers	D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida
26	Baltimore Ravens	Jalen Collins, CB, LSU
27	Dallas Cowboys	Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
28	Denver Broncos	Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
29	Indianapolis colts	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
30	Green Bay Packers	Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio)
31	New Orleans Saints (from Seattle)	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
32	New England Patriots	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington

Wide Receiver Prospects with Draft Stock on the Rise

Breshad Perriman

The University of Central Florida isn't exactly known as a factory of NFL talent, though former players like wide receiver Brandon Marshall, kicker Matt Prater, fullback Bruce Miller and quarterback Blake Bortles can be seen making their mark on NFL Sundays.

Perriman looks like he will be the next Central Florida product to step into the spotlight on the professional stage. The 6'2", 212-pound receiver has all the physical tools that NFL scouts covet, including incredible speed.

At the Central Florida pro day, Perriman reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in times of 4.24 and 4.27 seconds, according to NFL.com. Had these times been recorded at the scouting combine, they would have tied running back Chris Johnson's combine record.

Perriman, however, has more than just raw speed on his side. He also brings adequate size and two years' worth of solid production (1,855 yards and 13 TD between 2013-14) to the table. Some even believe that this combination of desirable traits puts Perriman in the same class as Cooper and White at the top of the wide receiver list.

Greg Cosell of Yahoo Sports' Shutdown Corner recently wrote the following of Perriman:

"

I think Cooper is the top receiver prospect this year. But if you asked me who is No. 2 among White and Perriman, that’s a tougher question. I really like Perriman. I heard an interesting comparison on Perriman from a scout the other day: Denver Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas. I can see that. Perriman is a big powerful, explosive, fast guy. Although he and White are about the same size, on film Perriman looks like the bigger guy.

"

While Perriman might not necessarily leapfrog White or even Parker on many draft boards, there certainly seems to be enough interest around the league to make him a Day 1 selection.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Perriman visited with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins this past week and has drawn interest from the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, as well.

Expect Perriman to come off the board before the bottom of the first round.

Jaelen Strong

Perriman may well be joined by Arizona State's Strong in the first round of the draft, even though Stong isn't as fast (he ran a 4.44 40 at the combine) or as polished.

The 6'2", 217-pound receiver has ball skills, however, which trump pure speed most of the time on game day.

"He's not going to run fast, but it won't matter because any team who drafts him is going to have a plan for him. When he has a quarterback who can throw him open, his speed won't matter much. I love him," one NFC West scout said of Strong, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Strong's ability to make the contested catch will certainly be a weapon at the pro level. According to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, it is a truly amazing skill:

Strong used his collection of skills to rack up 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Sun Devils a season ago, and he could very well use them to make an immediate impact in the NFL. If there is a run on receivers beginning in the middle of the first round, expect him to be one of the first names selected.

Nelson Agholor

USC's Agholor is another player on the rise, and his combination of polish and catching ability could be enough to propel him into the first round of this month's draft.

The 6'0", 198-pound prospect may only be a slot receiver at the next level, but that doesn't mean he cannot have an immediate impact with an NFL team. There are questions about his ability to gain separation with pure speed, but he is quick (ran a 4.42 40 at the combine) and isn't likely to disappoint in the catching department.

According to Bleacher Report Lead Draft Analyst Matt Miller, Agholor is even more dependable than Strong:

Strong is a talented route-runner who has drawn comparisons to legendary former Indianapolis Colts star Reggie Wayne.

Perhaps this is why the New England Patriots shceduled a private workout with Agholor, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. It is extremely doubtful that Agholor would fall to the bottom of the second round, so the Patriots must at least be considering taking him at the end of Round 1. If the former USC standout lasts until No. 32, he probably won't fall any farther.

Agholor racked up 1,313 and 12 scores in 2014.