2015 NFL Draft: Last-Minute Rumors and News for First-Round Order and Picks

Attention, NFL teams—you are running out of time.

Thursday is the first day of the 2015 NFL draft and also represents the final opportunity for squads to position themselves for more favorable top-notch prospects via trade. Certain positions, such as wide receiver and defensive end, are loaded in this draft, which means there will be chances to trade down and still address areas of need.

The natural result is a number of rumors as the draft approaches. Here is a look at a few of them.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins traded wide receiver Mike Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings and watched Brian Hartline join the Cleveland Browns this offseason and could use some reinforcements at the wide receiver position.

Yes, Miami added Greg Jennings and Kenny Stills, but Jennings will be 32 years old this season and hasn’t topped 1,000 receiving yards since the 2010 season. Stills is a budding impact player who tallied 931 receiving yards and three touchdown catches with Drew Brees in the Saints offense last season, but Miami still needs another option for Ryan Tannehill.

Jason La Canfora of CBS noted that wide receiver help could be on the way in the draft:

DeVante Parker has the skill set to contribute right away at the NFL level. He averaged 142.5 receiving yards per game last year after missing the first six contests with a foot injury and still earned second-team All-ACC honors with Louisville.

At 6’3” and 209 pounds, Parker is the ideal size for a wide receiver. He also boasts impressive speed and soft hands that allow him to make difficult catches in traffic. Throw in his leaping ability that makes him a threat in the red zone, and the Dolphins could use his presence on the outside as soon as next year.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Parker actually spent two months preparing in South Florida with trainer Pete Bommarito, who also trained Wes Welker, Anquan Boldin, Andre Johnson, Antonio Brown and Torrey Smith.

Bommarito discussed Parker recently, per Steve Jones of The Courier-Journal in Louisville: "In terms of elite speed, of course he's there. He's got that Torrey Smith, elite downfield speed. But then two other things are crisp routes and natural hands, and he's definitely got that. The other thing is just the mentality. You can see it. … All the great ones have that." 

That sounds like someone the Dolphins could use next year.

Atlanta Falcons

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Apparently, nobody knows what the Atlanta Falcons are going to do in the first round of the draft.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared the latest rumor from Atlanta:

The pass-rusher angle makes perfect sense. The Falcons were dead last in the league in 2014 in total defense and 27th in scoring defense, and part of the problem was the lack of consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. Atlanta was 30th in the league in sacks and never put much fear in offensive lines.

There are plenty of potential impact pass-rushers available in this draft, including Leonard Williams, Randy Gregory, Vic Beasley, Dante Fowler Jr., Shane Ray, Arik Armstead and Alvin “Bud” Dupree.

Beasley is an interesting prospect because he grew up in Georgia. He said playing for the Falcons “would be a dream come true,” in an interview with WZGV 730 AM in Charlotte, via Mike Huguenin of NFL.com.

However, Rapoport also noted that the Falcons could trade back to improve the offensive line depth. Like defensive line, a number of offensive linemen could be available in the first round of the draft, including Brandon Scherff, Ereck Flowers, Andrus Peat, D.J. Humphries, T.J. Clemmings and Jake Fisher. 

Atlanta could certainly move back in the draft and address the offensive line with a late first-round pick with so much depth at the position.

New York Jets 

Apparently, the Falcons aren’t the only team sending mixed signals as the draft approaches, as Rapoport noted:

The New York Jets were dead last in the AFC East in 2014 with a 4-12 record and naturally have a number of team needs if they want to catch up with the rest of the division. The New England Patriots are the defending champs, the Buffalo Bills added a number of pieces this offseason after finishing 9-7 in 2014 and the Miami Dolphins were a respectable 8-8 last year and will look to take a jump in 2015.

Marcus Mariota is certainly a possibility if the Jets are not set with Geno Smith or Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they may have to trade up from No. 6 in order to land the Oregon product.

The Jets could also use reinforcements at linebacker, offensive line, wide receiver and running back. Trading back would net New York more picks, which would in turn allow them the opportunity to address multiple areas of need.

The Jets’ ultimate approach during Thursday’s first round will likely have a domino effect on a number of teams. If New York traded up and grabbed Mariota, it would impact any team looking for a quarterback and force them to look at mid-tier prospects. However, the Jets are also a threat to trade down, which could tip off a bidding war for teams that have their eyes on certain players.

The draft may have moved to Chicago this year but all eyes will still be on New York during those first few picks.