NFL Draft Grades 2015: Round 1 Review and Scores for All Prospects

The NFL draft opted to skip Radio City Music Hall in New York City for a detour in Chicago. That wasn't the only unique thing about the 2015 draft, though. 

Neither Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston nor Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who would eventually go No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, were in attendance. Furthermore, there wasn't a single trade until the Chargers moved up to No. 15 to take Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon. 

Indeed, it was a draft unlike one we'd seen in recent years.

It was still eventful, though. From the Mariota trade-that-wasn't to a pair of running backs being selected in the first round, Thursday night's draft had its share of storylines. Below is a full list of first-round selections: 

And here is a complete list of letter grades and a brief analysis for all 32 picks in Round 1, along with breakdowns of the biggest stories: 

Team	Player	Grade	Quick Analysis
49ers*	Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon	D+	Armstead is a freakish talent, but the production hasn't always been there. 49ers Justin Smith will be a good mentor.
Bears	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia	A	The Bears found their replacement for Brandon Marshall to line up across Alshon Jeffery. White is a big, physical receiver who will win jump balls every time.
Bengals	Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M	B-	Ogbuehi is big, long and athletic, but he's coming off of a knee injury. Also, he needs some serious coaching to round out his game. High ceiling pick, however.
Broncos*	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri	B-	A foot injury and recent marijuana bust could have hurt Ray's draft stock. Instead, the Broncos traded up to help with a pass rush that features an aging DeMarcus Ware.
Browns	Danny Shelton, DT, Washington	A+	One of the best true fits of any first-round draft pick. Shelton is a huge defensive tackle who has better athleticism than you'd think. Perfect for an AFC North defense.
Browns*	Cameron Erving, C, Florida State	B-	Erving played center for the Seminoles, but is likely bound for guard or possibly tackle in Cleveland. There are other needs, like wide receiver, but it's not a terrible pick.
Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State	A	Winston's off-field issues, namely the sexual assault allegation, weren't enough to deter Tampa Bay. On the field, Winston is ready to step in and play on Day 1.
Cardinals	D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida	C+	Humphries has had some injury issues, but the Cardinals still felt good enough to select him in the first round. A potential starter at right tackle.
Chargers*	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin	B	The Chargers traded up with the 49ers to get college football's most productive running back in 2014. Love the pick, not loving where Gordon was picked.
Chiefs	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington	B+	Peters is a pure talent in the secondary that can actually force turnovers, but off-field issues were a concern. The Chiefs clearly feel they can mold him away from the field.
Colts	Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami (FL)	B	Dorsett was one of the best vertical threats in college football last year. It's another weapon for Andrew Luck in the passing game, but who's making sure Luck isn't picking himself up off the turf?
Cowboys	Byron Jones, CB, UConn	A+	Not only was Jones a combine superhero, he fills a major need for the Cowboys. There's very little not to like about this pick.
Dolphins	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville	A-	Miami hit the reset button on its wide receiver corp., so this pick makes sense. Parker gives quarterback Ryan Tannehill a legit deep threat.
Eagles	Nelson Agholor, WR, USC	A-	Chip Kelly keeps picking up Pac-12 talent. Agholor fits the Eagles' offense well and can contribute in special teams.
Falcons	Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson	B-	You can't say drafting Beasley doesn't fit a need for the Falcons, who ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who worked with Bruce Irvin in Seattle, should like Beasley.
Giants	Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL)	C	As a prospect, Flowers is a beast but still pretty raw and will need some development. For the Giants to pick him up at No. 9 could be seen as a reach.
Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida	B+	The Jaguars upgraded their defense with what they felt was the best player available. Fowler is a versatile edge rusher wh
Jets	Leonard Williams, DE, USC	A+	Drafting Leonard wasn't a pick made out of necessity; the Jets already have a stout defensive line. That said, they just got even better up front with the best defender available.
Lions*	Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke	A	By trading down with Denver, the Lions drafted Tomlinson and acquired veteran Manny Ramirez. The guard position, previously a question mark, appears to have been answered.
Packers	Damarious Randall, S, Arizona State	A-	The Packers drafted Alabama safety Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix last year and continued to upgrade their secondary with Randall. The Arizona State standout is versatile and could contribute as a nickel back immediately.
Panthers	Shaq Thompson, S/LB, Washington	C+	It's not clear which position Thompson will play—safety or linebacker. Immediately, he'll be used wherever the Panthers feel they need him.
Patriots	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas	A-	How Brown fell all the way to No. 32 is stunning. The Pats just grabbed a disruptive, athletic interior D-line player. He was easily one of the best available and fell right into Bill Belichick's lap.
Raiders	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama	A	This pick is a mixture of need and best available talent. Cooper is an excellent route runner, fast and gives quarterback Derek Carr a deep threat.
Rams	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia	A	Gurley is the total package at running back. He great size, power, speed, vision—everything. He's coming off an ACL injury, but when healthy, he's a game changer.
Ravens	Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida	A-	The Ravens needed a wide receiver, so Perriman is a good pick. The knock on him is that he has way too many unexplained drops.
Redskins	Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa	C+	Taking Scherff fifth overall was a surprise—the Redskins could have traded back—but that doesn't mean it was a terrible pick. Scherff can play the coveted left tackle position right away to protect Robert Griffin III.
Saints	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford	B	The Saints needed help along the offensive line. Peat is a bit of a development project, but could grow into a stud.
Saints*	Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson	B-	It's possible Anthony could start right away for the Saints. At the very least, though, he'll be involved in the two-deep at the middle linebacker spot.
Steelers	Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky	A	Dupree fires off the ball and adds more speed to an aging defense that desperately needs it. He basically fell into the Steelers' lap.
Texans	Kevin Johnson, DB, Wake Forest	C+	Johnson has a lot of upside, but falls under the narrative of a poor tackling defensive back. When you're playing against Andrew Luck (and, now, Marcus Mariota) every season, you better stock on DBs.
Titans	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon	A-	Ken Whisenhunt gets a QB. How quickly can Mariota transition from his college offense to the Titans' playbook? There's no questioning Mariota's football character or leadership skills, however.
Vikings	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State	A+	When you're facing Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford two times a year, picking up good defensive backs is important. Waynes has blinding speed and comes from an excellent defensive coaching staff at Michigan State

Heisman-Winning Quarterbacks Go No. 1, No. 2

In the end, the top two picks in the draft went announced drama-free.

Despite any potential off-field concerns, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston went No. 1 overall to the Buccaneers, as expected. Though Winston is as pro-ready as they come, his sexual assault allegation remained a discussion point. However, the Buccaneers clearly felt confident in the amount of vetting they did for Winston. So, they left no doubt and selected the ex-Seminole right away and made him the school's first overall No. 1 pick. 

Who the Titans would pick at No. 2 was less secure, however.  

Rumors swirled in the 11th hour that the Eagles were preparing a can't-miss package for the Titans in order to trade up and draft Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is more than familiar with Mariota, having briefly coached him at Oregon. As it turned out, though, the Titans knew what they wanted and drafted Mariota. 

As noted by Jason Lewis of KTXS Sports, Winston and Mariota are the first back-to-back Heisman winners to be selected with the top two picks in the draft. 

There was also chatter that perhaps the Titans would trade Mariota, but when asked if he would start Mariota in Week 1—against the Buccaneers, of all teams—head coach Ken Whisenhunt said "That's the plan." 

As far as Mariota's transition from Oregon's offense to Tennessee's, Whisenhunt told John Glennon of the Tennessean this week he would keep some spread elements to help Mariota along. 

The Return of the Round 1 Running Backs

According to Chris Chase of USA Today, the last time a running back was drafted in the first round was 2012. That was Trent Richardson—with the third overall pick, no less—to the Cleveland Browns and, well, everyone knows how that turned out. 

The St. Louis Rams are hoping history doesn't repeat itself by selecting Georgia running back Todd Gurley with the 10th overall pick.  

There's some risk to selecting Gurley that high, to be sure. The former Bulldog standout is coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2014 season. However, when healthy, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more dynamic playmaker in the backfield. 

The comparison gets thrown around more than it should, but one scout told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com earlier this month Gurley has been called the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson. Gurley certainly has it all: size, speed, burst, vision, athleticism and hands. There aren't a lot of weaknesses to his game. 

Six picks later, the San Diego Chargers traded up for Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon. No back was more productive than Gordon in 2014 when the junior rushed for 2,587 yards—at 7.54 yards per rush—and 29 touchdowns. The Chargers have been looking for an every-down back to take the pressure off of quarterback Philip Rivers. 

Rivers had been the subject of trade conjecture, even though the organization publicly dismissed the idea. As it turned out, the only trading the Chargers did was for a running back.

Considering the recent history of the position, the fact that anyone traded up for a running back in the first round at all is stunning. For two running backs to go in the first round, too? It was that kind of night. 

Highlighting the Underrated Picks in Round 1

Miami Dolphins (No. 14): DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville

The top of the wide receiver draft class, which namely consisted of Alabama's Amari Cooper and West Virginia's Kevin White, was strong. However, Parker isn't too far off as far as NFL-ready talent is concerned. 

Parker to the Dolphins is a nice combination of talent meeting need, as noted by Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com: 

"

After trading Mike Wallace for a sack of beans and cutting Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson, the Dolphins needed to hit reset.

With Parker to go along with emerging Jarvis Landry, trade acquisition Kenny Stills, free agent pickup Greg Jennings (and tight end Jordan Cameron), quarterback Ryan Tannehill has a better shot to continue to progress, as the Dolphins distance themselves from past mistakes.

"

The Dolphins front office is trying to surround Tannehill, drafted to be the franchise quarterback, with weapons. At some point, it's going to be up to him to make everything work. 

Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 22): Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky

The recent retirements of Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor confirmed what many Steelers fans already knew for years: the defense is old and needs and fresh coat of paint. Last season, the organization drafted middle linebacker Ryan Shazier out of Ohio State and threw him into the fire right away. Expect the Steelers to do the same with Dupree, a terrific pass-rusher. 

As B/R colleague Michael Schottey explains, what the Steelers should get out of Dupree is what they wanted to get out of Jarvis Jones a couple of years ago: 

There are still questions that need to be answered in the Steelers' secondary, but the best way to hide those concerns is by getting to the quarterback quickly. Dupree should help in that department. 

Detroit Lions (No. 28): Laken Tomlinson, OL, Duke

The Broncos apparently wanted to get rid of offensive lineman Manny Ramirez badly. The Lions were happy to oblige—but not without a price. 

The Lions traded down from the No. 23 spot to the No. 28 spot so the Broncos could grab Missouri defensive end Shane Ray. In exchange, the Lions landed Ramirez and drafted Duke guard Laken Tomlinson, plus landing a couple of fifth-round picks.

The move upgrades a serious question mark the organization has been facing. Additionally, Tomlinson checks off the box as a guy you want in your locker room. Quietly, this was an excellent move for the Lions. 

New England Patriots (No. 32): Malcom Brown, DT, Texas

What is it about the Patriots that they manage to land excellent, late first-round talent like it's by accident?

One of the surprises of Thursday night was that Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown kept waiting for his name to be called. An athletic specimen at 6'2" and 319 pounds, Brown would have been a great fit for the Lions. Instead, he becomes the likely replacement for Vince Wilfork in New England. 

Brown actually led the Longhorns in tackles for loss, sacks and quarterback hurries last season, so he's shown he can be a disruptive force from the interior of the defensive line. He should be an excellent fit in the Patriots' defensive front.