2015 NFL Draft Grades: Team-by-Team Letter Marks After Round 1 Results

In the end, the first round of the 2015 NFL draft didn't feature nearly as many fireworks as expected. The top quarterbacks, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, came off the board right away, and there were no trades involving top-10 selections.

There were no truly shocking picks, either. Perhaps there were a couple of players who went earlier than expected, such as Ereck Flowers or Laken Tomlinson, but nothing completely off the wall. It was a pretty mundane round with a lot of teams filling obvious needs.

The grades reflect that heading into Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday night—nothing worse than average at this stage but still plenty of drafting to do. Let's check out the team-by-team breakdown followed by a complete results tracker and analysis on some of the top value picks.

2015 NFL Draft Grades: Round 1

Team	Selections	Grade
Arizona Cardinals	D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida	B
Atlanta Falcons	Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson	B+
Baltimore Ravens	Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF	B
Carolina Panthers	Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington	B-
Chicago Bears	Kevin White, WR, West Virginia	B+
Cincinnati Bengals	Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M	C+
Cleveland Browns	Danny Shelton, DT Washington; Cameron Erving, C, FSU	A-
Dallas Cowboys	Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut	B-
Denver Broncos	Shane Ray, DE, Missouri	A
Detroit Lions	Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke	C+
Green Bay Packers	Damarious Randall, FS, Arizona State	B-
Houston Texans	Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest	B
Indianapolis Colts	Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami	C
Jacksonville Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida	B+
Kansas City Chiefs	Marcus Peters, CB, Washington	B-
Miami Dolphins	DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville	B
Minnesota Vikings	Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State	B+
New England Patriots	Malcom Brown, DT, Texas	A
New Orleans Saints	Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford; Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson	B
New York Giants	Ereck Flowers, G, Miami	C+
New York Jets	Leonard Williams, DE, USC	A
Oakland Raiders	Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama	B+
Philadelphia Eagles	Nelson Agholor, WR, USC	B-
Pittsburgh Steelers	Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky	B
San Diego Chargers	Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin	B+
San Francisco 49ers	Arik Armstead, DT, Oregon	B-
St. Louis Rams	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia	B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB, FSU	A-
Tennessee Titans	Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon	A-
Washington Redskins	Brandon Scherff, G, Iowa	C+

2015 NFL Draft Results

Best Value Selections

6. New York Jets: Leonard Williams, DE, USC

The Jets had bigger needs than defensive line. It's hard to pass when the best overall player is still available at No. 6, though. At 6'5" and 302 pounds, Williams has all the tools—size, quickness and power—to become a dominant force in Todd Bowles and Kacy Rodgers' defense very quickly.

Having a ferocious front seven is essential in a division that's been dominated by the New England Patriots for more than a decade. Chris Wesseling of Around The NFL passed along comments from the USC product, who clearly understands his main task:

New York already has Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Damon Harrison up front. It means Williams will need to earn his snaps with strong offseason camps and preseason play. Of course, the team could always trade one of the ends to open up more playing time.

Regardless, the Jets couldn't pass up the opportunity to select a player who's likely going to make a major impact for a long time. Getting the best prospect outside the top five is a major coup, and the front office did the right thing by snatching him.

23. Denver Broncos: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri

Are there some questions about Ray? Absolutely. He's dealt with a toe injury and was cited for marijuana possession during draft week. Yet from a pure football perspective, he was a top-10, and possibly top-five, prospect whom the Broncos were able to snag at No. 23.

He's an edge-rusher with an outstanding initial burst to dash past tackles. He illustrated that while racking up 14.5 sacks last season. But he's also willing to put in the effort to make an impact against the run. He's not a one-dimensional defender.

Yes, it's a selection that does come with some risk because of those aforementioned issues. That said, it's far less this deep in the round as opposed to inside the top 10. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports' provided the scouts' take:

The Broncos now have Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Ray coming off the edge. That's as formidable of a group as you can find around the league. Denver's window is closing with Peyton Manning, so it makes sense to take a chance on the Missouri standout and hope to strike gold.

32. New England Patriots: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas

The Patriots' extended run of dominance usually sees them drafting late in Round 1. Being able to maximize the value of those selections has allowed them to maintain their place as a top contender. Watching Brown, who fills a need, slide right into their lap had to frustrate the rest of the AFC East.

Brown is a player who can shift around the defensive line for New England. He's capable of consistently pushing into the backfield to thwart the running game and attack the quarterback. Brown certainly has enough raw talent to go closer to the middle of Round 1.

He won't be able to fill the cleats of Vince Wilfork by himself as a rookie. But he'll become a key piece of the rotation up front to lessen the impact of the veteran's exit. Chip Brown of Horns Digest thinks it was a flat-out steal for the Pats:

Brown could benefit from adding a little more power to his frame. But that shouldn't be much of an issue with the strength and conditioning programs at the next level. He should make his presence felt right away and steadily develop into a force for New England's defense.