2015 NFL Draft Predictions: 1st-Round Mock Projections and Sleepers to Watch

The best NFL teams find sustained success over many NFL drafts, culminating in a roster built around draftee centerpieces complemented by free-agent acquisitions.

It sounds so simple, right?

An ability to identify the best sleepers and pull the trigger at great value is part of the magic helping teams knock drafts out of the park. Whether it's great scouts or decision-makers in the front office—or just plain great luck—the best teams find "sleepers" year after year.

With the 2015 draft beginning tomorrow, now is a great time to step back and identify some sleepers in the first and second rounds. Below, you'll find a mock projecting the first round, one reflecting team need, value and the draftee stock market.

2015 NFL Mock 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	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
7	Chicago Bears	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
8	Atlanta Falcons	Alvin Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
9	New York Giants	La'el Collins, OL, LSU
10	St. Louis Rams	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
11	Minnesota Vikings	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
12	Cleveland Browns	Arik Armstead, DE/OLB, Oregon
13	New Orleans Saints	Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
14	Miami Dolphins	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
15	San Francisco 49ers	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
16	Houston Texans	Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
17	San Diego Chargers	Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke
18	Kansas City Chiefs	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
19	Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo)	Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
21	Cincinnati Bengals	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Owamagbe Odighizuwa, OLB, UCLA
23	Detroit Lions	Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
24	Arizona Cardinals	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
25	Carolina Panthers	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
26	Baltimore Ravens	Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
27	Dallas Cowboys	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
28	Denver Broncos	Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
29	Indianapolis Colts	Mario Edwards, DL, Florida State
30	Green Bay Packers	Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
31	New Orleans Saints (via Seattle)	Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
32	New England Patriots	Byron Jones, CB, UConn

Sleepers to Watch 

Nelson Agholor, WR, USC

Nelson Agholor gets lost in the hype.

He doesn't turn heads with a 40-yard dash like Breshad Perriman or Phillip Dorsett, and he doesn't look like Calvin Johnson, something Dorial Green-Beckham does with ease.

What Agholor does do, though, is provide teams with an elite slot receiver prospect at 6'0" and 198 pounds who runs smooth routes, touts sure hands and has a football IQ helping him to find the holes in defenses on a regular basis.

Agholor's production at USC over the past few seasons says it all:

YEAR	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
2014	104	1313	12.6	87	12
2013	56	918	16.4	62	6

There's a reason a scout tells Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, "I just hope he doesn't go to the Patriots. He'd be so great there."

There's also a reason the New England Patriots are brought up when it comes to Agholor: Bill Belichick and Co. make a habit of finding sleepers, and the USC product classifies as such.

While others received strong hype thanks to workouts on this wild path to the draft, keep an eye on the wideout who has gone about his business in a quiet manner and has no real negatives to speak of.

Some team may unearth the hidden gem in a deep class on Day 1.

Grady Jarrett, DT, Clemson

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Defensive tackle is another one of those positions with such big names at the top it can be easy to overlook great prospects who sit around with the sleeper tag. 

Grady Jarrett qualifies. The 6'1", 304-pound disruptor wants folks to know about him too:

It's understandable Jarrett is a bit lost in the hype of a class led by Leonard Williams, Danny Shelton, Malcom Brown and Eddie Goldman, but he touts the upside to be every bit as productive as most of the names on this year's list.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein sums up Jarrett's impressive skill set, which is best suited for a 4-3 front.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

"Jarrett is built like a refrigerator, but he's hardly a stationary player," Zierlein writes. "He lacks the overall size to be considered as a nose by most base 3-4 teams, but he's a perfect shade-nose fit for teams looking for a disruptor in a one-gap, penetrating front."

Jarett isn't big enough to man the nose on his own in a 3-4 alignment, which hurts his stock some. But 4-3 teams wiling to pull the trigger will get a prospect with a chip on his shoulder and great upside as someone who can provide unorthodox pressure up the middle on a regular basis. 

As Geno Atkins, Gerald McCoy and other emerging players show, there's a huge premium on such a talent these days.

Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest

Cornerback is the opposite of the other two positions mentioned because it seems a weak class this year. 

Trae Waynes and Marcus Peters lead the class, but both also feature respective concerns sure to give NFL teams pause.

What about Kevin Johnson?

Most don't know about Johnson because he played collegiate ball at Wake Forest, but he touts great size at 6'0" and 188 pounds and turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine by ranking among the best at his position in four drills.

He's not just a workout warrior, though, as Miller points out things look great on film too:

Steam is picking up around Johnson's stock, as ProFootballTalk reveals:

Johnson's sleeper status continues to fade, but he has yet to become a household name folks hope their team drafts in the first round.

Again, this isn't something NFL teams will complain about. The best will capitalize on Johnson's iffy stock to great effect, either near the end of the first round or in the early second.

After a few years, most will look back on the class and wish they had given more attention to those beating their chest about Johnson's on-field ability.  

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 29. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.