2015 NFL Draft: The Complete Guide to Day 1

For some fans, the NFL draft is the biggest event of the league's calendar year.

It's the day that hope springs eternal for 32 organizations and their fanbases. This is more important in certain cities than in others, but the draft itself is no longer simply a one-weekend event turned conversation piece.

The draft is now a 365-day process. It almost operates separate of the the league itself, and everyone believes he or she can spot the next great prospect.

Months and months of work, both inside the league and by those covering it, will culminate this weekend.

Franchises already spent millions on evaluating hundreds of prospects. Workouts and visits are done. More mock drafts than any human can possibly read have already been written. It's now time to take all of that knowledge and cram it into a weekend's worth of work.

This year's class proved to be fascinating and difficult to predict all the way until the end, which makes it even more fun to watch. Plus, the event returns to Chicago for the first time in 51 years.

The 2015 NFL draft is finally here. Let's all try to enjoy it before we're off and running to the next one.

Where, When and How to Watch

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Where: Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago

When: Thursday, April 30 (first round), 8 p.m. ET; Friday, May 1 (second and third rounds), 7 p.m. ET; Saturday, May 2 (fourth through seventh rounds), noon ET

How to Watch: ESPN, NFL Network (on TV), Bleacher Report Team Stream (live video analysis on mobile)

Complete Draft Order

In the spring of 1986, the band Europe was about to become a worldwide sensation due to its hit single "The Final Countdown," and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick. At the time, the Buccaneers were eyeing a two-sport star by the name of Bo Jackson.

Fast-forward nearly three decades.

The Buccaneers once again own the top selection, and the organization is strongly considering the possibility of selecting yet another standout two-sport phenom.

For the sake of Buccaneers fans, let's hope this scenario plays out better than the previous one.

A quarterback, particularly Florida State's Jameis Winston, will almost certainly be the pick, and then the countdown through the rest of the draft begins.

The official first-round draft order can be found above, while the entire draft order is listed in all of its glory here.

Matt Miller's NFL Draft 400

The NFL draft isn't simply a hobby. It's a passion that burns within a talented few who are more worried about watching football on Saturdays and Sundays looking toward the future than being overly concerned with the day's outcomes.

Bleacher Report lead NFL draft writer Matt Miller is one of those people.

This year, Miller went above and beyond by ranking 441 prospects. There are only 256 picks in the NFL draft, folks.

Not only has B/R's draft analyst provided a window into where guys are predicted to fall in all seven rounds of the draft, but he also gave fans a head start on the top prospects who will likely be undrafted yet draw plenty of attention once the event concludes.

It's a year's worth of work all crammed into one easy-to-read widget.

Is Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota's placement outside the top 10 the biggest surprise?

Find out by scrolling through all 441 players on Miller's big board located at the top of the page. Also, a position-by-position breakdown of the top prospects can be found here.

Matt Miller's Final Mock Draft

A mock draft is many things; 100 percent accurate is never one of them.

It's impossible to predict exactly what will happen during a draft. There are 32 teams with numerous front-office personnel. Each member of a team's front office as well as its scouting and coaching staffs has a unique opinion.

Once draft-day trades are factored into the equation, the actual odds of predicting the entire first round accurately are infinitesimal.

But this fact doesn't stop anyone from writing an untold number of mock drafts.

A good mock draft can prove to be a road map. It provides a look into certain situations and how they could play out once teams are officially on the clock. Also, an informed mock draft gives strong indications of which way teams are leaning in regard to certain prospects or positions of need.

Bleacher Report lead NFL draft writer Matt Miller takes his final stab at what he believes will happen once the first round commences (see: above).

Over the months, Miller evaluated and ranked 441 total prospects, as seen on the previous slide. He also spoke with numerous team officials. What he found out could be seen during weekly installments of his scouting notebook, and those nuggets of information directly influenced his mock draft.

If Miller's final mock draft isn't enough to sate your predraft cravings, NFL national lead writer Mike Tanier also provided a mock draft with a little bit of a different flavor to pass time between now and the start of the actual event.

Bleacher Report Expert Predictions

John Bazemore/Associated Press

In a world where a simple mock draft makes nobody happy at any point in time, Bleacher Report's best and brightest attempted to predict the unpredictable (as they do each year).

It's not always pretty, but Johnny Manziel isn't in this year's class to dazzle everyone and throw everything out of whack.

This year, Bleacher Report polled its 14 NFL experts to garner draft prognostications including:

• Steal of the draft
• Biggest first-round reach
• Best overall fit
• Biggest draft-day slider
• Marcus Mariota's new home

Those five categories highlight the 15 questions asked of the analysts in this year's edition of Bleacher Report's Expert Consensus Predictions. Coming to a consensus certainly wasn't a natural state for these talented writers.

Only one player emerged as a runaway consensus pick in any particular category. (Hint: He's pictured above.) But that same player was considered the one prospect who was the most likely to be over-drafted by three of the participants.

Anarchy rules when talented writers are asked for their opinions, and it provides a perfect example of why the NFL draft is so difficult to predict.

Getting to Know the Top Quarterbacks

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The intrigue of the 2015 NFL draft starts with the two quarterbacks who are likely to be chosen with the first two selections.

Florida State's Jameis Winston is considered a franchise-caliber prospect, but his off-field concerns are less than ideal for any franchise willing to make him the face of the organization.

Bleacher Report NFL columnist Dan Pompei dissected Winston's history and wrote about how the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner fits into the league's current landscape, particularly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pompei quoted Bucs general manager Jason Licht in the above piece about those off-field concerns: "It's hard to find people who have been around him who will say anything negative, besides that he's immature. So far, I'm comfortable with his background. I think the perception is different from the reality."

Oregon's Marcus Mariota, on the other hand, is squeaky clean off the field and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, but which team is willing to take a chance on him when he's played in a spread offense during his entire career?

The narrative swirling around Mariota being only a system quarterback never seems to go away, but Bleacher Report NFL national lead writer Michael Schottey addressed the concern head on during a candid interview with the native Hawaiian.

Mariota told Schottey in the aforementioned interview, "The nice thing is: A lot of the teams I've talked to said many of the concepts we run in our passing game and even some of the run game is similar to what some of these teams are running. That should make my transition easier."

Winston and Mariota each answered questions throughout the predraft process. After adequately addressing the concerns about themselves as individuals, a general consensus emerged leading into the first round that the duo will eventually be selected first and second overall.

It's then up to the quarterbacks' new teams to get the most out of both on and off the field.

Stars of the 2015 NFL Draft

While the conversation always starts with the quarterbacks, the biggest stars in this year's class reside along the defensive line and at wide receiver.

The ability to get after the quarterback, collapse the pocket or create mismatches for an offense is a valuable commodity, and the 2015 draft class should be a direct reflection of today's positional value.

After the quarterbacks potentially come off the board with the first two selections, seven of the next eight picks could be filled by either defensive linemen or wide receivers.

USC's Leonard Williams is arguably this year's No. 1 overall prospect. The talented defensive end from the Trojans' three-man front has all the tools to be a dominant force once he fully develops at the next level.

Clemson's Vic Beasley has added 15 pounds since the end of last season. The class' most natural pass-rusher was 246 pounds at the NFL combine and blew scouts away with his overall workout. Beasley's impressive physique and production—he accumulated 25 sacks and 44.5 tackles over the past two seasons—make him one of the draft's most intriguing prospects.

Kentucky's Alvin "Bud" Dupree is the wild card. The 6'4", 269-pound defender is a supreme athlete who played as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker during his time in Lexington. His overall potential is very tempting.

Florida's Dante Fowler Jr. is the most versatile of the bunch. The previous Gators coaching staff found ways to use Fowler creatively and allow him to be a bowling ball on the field just smashing through blockers.

Moving from defense to offense, Alabama's Amari Cooper, Louisville's DeVante Parker and West Virginia's Kevin White are all vying to become the first wide receiver off the board.

Cooper is the most accomplished and polished route-runner. Parker is the big-play threat. And White is the biggest and most physical of the trio.

All three are legitimately in the conversation as top-10 prospects, and the first could come off the board as early as the second or third overall pick.

But the talent in this class extends beyond these elite prospects.

Missouri's Shane Ray—the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year—was once considered a potential top-10 selection, but a toe injury and a marijuana possession citation the week of the draft put the brakes on that conversation. Bleacher Report NFL analyst Gary Davenport discussed whether Ray should still be considered a first-round talent after these recent missteps.

There are also two former high school teammates, Michigan State's Trae Waynes and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, who will likely come off the board shortly after the initial 10 selections. Bleacher Report NFL national lead writer Michael Schottey chronicled their unique relationship.

Gordon told Schottey of his friendship with Waynes, "We're just real close. He comes to me when things ain't right, and I go to him for the same. It's nice we can go through this process together. We're a lot closer than just football."

Others such as Washington's Danny Shelton (whose turbulent backstory is chronicled in the video above), Iowa's Brandon Scherff, Stanford's Andrus Peat, Georgia's Todd Gurley, Texas' Malcom Brown, Florida State's Cam Erving, Miami's Ereck Flowers and Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson are all considered solid first-round options and will help fill out the opening frame.

Team-by-Team Big Boards

Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press

No one knows the NFL teams better than those who follow them on a daily basis.

The talented contributors to Bleacher Report provided insight into the directions each team could take once it's on the clock and the overall board starts to take shape:

• Arizona Cardinals Positional Big Board
• Atlanta Falcons Positional Big Board
• Baltimore Ravens Positional Big Board
• Buffalo Bills Positional Big Board
• Carolina Panthers Positional Big Board
• Chicago Bears Positional Big Board
• Cincinnati Bengals Positional Big Board
• Cleveland Browns Positional Big Board
• Dallas Cowboys Positional Big Board
• Denver Broncos Positional Big Board
• Detroit Lions Positional Big Board
• Green Bay Packers Positional Big Board
• Houston Texans Positional Big Board
• Indianapolis Colts Positional Big Board
• Jacksonville Jaguars Positional Big Board
• Kansas City Chiefs Positional Big Board
• Miami Dolphins Positional Big Board
• Minnesota Vikings Positional Big Board
• New England Patriots Positional Big Board
• New Orleans Saints Positional Big Board
• New York Giants Positional Big Board
• New York Jets Positional Big Board
• Oakland Raiders Positional Big Board
• Philadelphia Eagles Positional Big Board
• Pittsburgh Steelers Positional Big Board
• St. Louis Rams Positional Big Board
• San Diego Chargers Positional Big Board
• San Francisco 49ers Positional Big Board
• Seattle Seahawks Positional Big Board
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Positional Big Board
• Tennessee Titans Positional Big Board
• Washington Redskins Positional Big Board

Matt Bowen Deciphers the Draft Lies from the Truth

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

At any point after the Reese's Senior Bowl, the lying season is in full effect. No NFL general manager, coach or scout can be fully trusted.

It's simply the nature of the beast as teams jockey for even a minuscule advantage over their competitors.

It's easy to get caught up in all the trade rumors and potential happenings before the draft actually starts.

Bleacher Report featured columnist Nick Kostos provided the latest rumors for all 32 teams to sift through over the next few hours.

Most of the rumors surround Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Bleacher Report NFL national lead writer Mike Freeman detailed which teams are desperate enough to make a move for the potential franchise signal-caller in his final predraft 10-point stance. 

However, it's easiest to fully understand the game if you once played it.

Matt Bowen played seven seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills. He currently serves as an NFL national lead writer for Bleacher Report, and he reminded everyone that we're in the heart of lying season and everything that entails. 

Team Tendencies and Super-Sleepers

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Those outside of the NFL's inner circle always want to know what their favorite teams are going to do in the draft and who they can nab in the later rounds to become the next diamond in the rough.

At first blush, these two categories don't appear to go hand in hand, but these tendencies can provide insight into the type of player that can succeed in a scheme even after being a late-round selection.

The Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman reached the perfect nexus point of unrefined talent meeting the ideal scheme fit after being selected 154th overall in the 2011 NFL draft.

Bleacher Report's Ty Schalter and Michael Schottey identified each half of this particular equation.

Schalter went above and beyond with an extensive look at each team's draft tendencies. A team's preferences and biggest needs are easy to spot once its recent history helps to establish organizational patterns.

On the other end of the spectrum, Schottey identified his 2015 NFL Draft All-Sleeper Team, which is comprised of prospects likely to be selected far later than the first round with the potential to become the next Sherman.

As fans ready themselves for the first round, they can always keep an eye toward those late-round sleepers. An understanding of what their favorite teams tend to do can help identify prospects of interest, whether it's in the first or seventh round.