2015 NFL Draft Results: Grades for Rounds 1-3 and Analysis of Top Prospects

Patience may be a virtue, but the NFL draft is all about knee-jerk reactions.

While it will technically take a few seasons for the 2015 draft class to find its footing at the NFL level, it is easy to get caught up in the moment in a long, football-less offseason. It has been far too long since there were winners and losers in the football realm, and Week 1 is still months away.

Naturally, we all want winners and losers in the immediate aftermath of the first three rounds.

The draft is the Super Bowl of the offseason, and those teams that consistently win the offseason Super Bowls set themselves up for actual Super Bowls. With that in mind, here is a look at the results and grades from the first three rounds of the 2015 NFL draft for every team, as well as some top prospects who heard their names called during the second day of the draft.

Team	Draft Picks	Grade	Quick-Hit Analysis
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys	CB Byron Jones, DE/OLB Randy Gregory, OT Chaz Green	B	High risk, high reward with Gregory, but addressed some needs.
Philadelphia Eagles	WR Nelson Agholor, CB Eric Rowe, LB Jordan Hicks	B-	Not the flashy draft many expected.
Washington	OT Brandon Scherff, DE Preston Smith, RB Matt Jones	C+	All solid players, but better value was available at each pick.
New York Giants	OT Ereck Flowers, S Landon Collins, DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa	B+	Collins still a work in progress against pass, but first-round quality pick in second round and fills big need.
NFC North
Chicago Bears	WR Kevin White, DT Eddie Goldman, C Hroniss Grasu	A-	White and Goldman could start right away.
Green Bay Packers	S Damarious Randall, CB Quinten Rollins, WR Ty Montgomery	B	Better value available early, but Montgomery a steal.
Detroit Lions	G Laken Tomlinson, RB Ameer Abdullah, CB Alex Carter	B-	Abdullah the highlight of Detroit's draft and ready to step on field right away.
Minnesota Vikings	CB Trae Waynes, LB Eric Kendricks, DE Danielle Hunter	A	Love the Waynes pick in a division with pass-happy Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler and Matt Stafford.
NFC South
Carolina Panthers	LB Shaq Thompson, TE Devin Funchess	B	Thompson somewhat of an early reach, but Funchess has high upside.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	QB Jameis Winston, OT Donovan Smith, C Ali Marpet	A	Needed a franchise quarterback and then grabbed protection up front for Winston.
New Orleans Saints	OT Andrus Peat, LB Stephone Anthony, LB Kikaha Hau'oli, QB Garrett Grayson, CB P.J. Williams	B	Impressive late value with Grayson and Williams.
Atlanta Falcons	OLB/DE Vic Beasley, CB Jalen Collins, RB Tevin Coleman	A	Needed to improve defense—and did so. Also grabbed impressive back in Coleman.
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers	DE Arik Armstead, S Jaquiski Tartt, LB Eli Harold	C	Armstead more of a workout warrior than anything else at this point.
St. Louis Rams	RB Todd Gurley, OT Rob Havenstein, OT Jamon Brown, QB Sean Mannion	B	Gurley an injury risk with superstar potential; got offensive line help needed.
Seattle Seahawks	DE Frank Clark, WR Tyler Lockett	C+	Off-field concerns with Clark, but Lockett solid pick.
Arizona Cardinals	OT D.J. Humphries, DE Markus Golden, RB David Johnson	C+	Needed stability at the running back position, but personally think better backs available than Johnson.
AFC East
New York Jets	DE Leonard Williams, WR Devin Smith, LB Lorenzo Mauldin	A+	Williams is best player in draft, Smith is best deep threat in draft outside Amari Cooper and Kevin White.
Miami Dolphins	WR DeVante Parker, DT Jordan Phillips	B	Needed depth at wide receiver and got just that.
New England Patriots	DT Malcom Brown, S Jordan Richards, DE Geneo Grissom	B+	Brown was steal of the first round.
Buffalo Bills	CB Ronald Darby, G John Miller	B-	No first-round picks, added solid value in second day.
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals	OT Cedric Ogbuehi, OT Jake Fisher, TE Tyler Kroft, LB Paul Dawson	C-	Felt as if there was better value available at each pick for Bengals.
Cleveland Browns	DT Danny Shelton, C Cameron Erving, DE Nate Orchard, RB Duke Johnson, DT Xavier Cooper	B-	Wide receivers are apparently an overrated part of the game, but Johnson and Orchard are both ready to contribute.
Pittsburgh Steelers	DE Alvin "Bud" Dupree, CB Senquez Golson, WR Sammie Coates	B	This would have been better with Maxx Williams, but Dupree represents great value late in first round.
Baltimore Ravens	WR Breshad Perriman, TE Maxx Williams, DT Carl Davis	B+	Needed Williams. Got Williams.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts	WR Phillip Dorsett, CB D'Joun Smith, DE Henry Anderson	C	Dorsett was a reach, and nothing else really moved the needle.
Jacksonville Jaguars	DE/OLB Dante Fowler Jr., RB T.J. Yeldon, G A.J. Cann	B-	Fowler an impressive player, but better running backs were on the board than Yeldon.
Tennessee Titans	QB Marcus Mariota, WR Dorial Green-Beckham, G Jeremiah Poutasi	A	Got a franchise quarterback and a target and protection for him.
Houston Texans	CB Kevin Johnson, LB Benardrick McKinney, WR Jaelen Strong	B	Great value with Strong and McKinney during the second day.
AFC West
San Diego Chargers	RB Melvin Gordon, LB Denzel Perryman, CB Craig Mager	B	Gordon has superstar potential.
Denver Broncos	DE Shane Ray, OT Ty Sambrailo, TE Jeff Heuerman	B	Ray is ready to contribute right away and Peyton Manning can work with Heuerman.
Oakland Raiders	WR Amari Cooper, DE Mario Edwards Jr., TE Clive Walford	A	Cooper and Edwards Jr. are pros.
Kansas City Chiefs	CB Marcus Peters, G Mitch Morse, WR Chris Conley, CB Steven Nelson	B-	Peters would have been an earlier pick if weren't off-field concerns. Great talent.

Top Prospects from Day 2

Dallas Cowboys: Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys went high risk, high reward late in the second round when they selected defensive end Randy Gregory with the 60th overall pick.

Gregory was seen in many circles as a potential early first-round pick for most of the predraft process, but a failed drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine, a missed flight for a team visit and the failure to make it to two other meetings cost him dearly, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

Gregory discussed his status, per Archer: 

"

Obviously I was a little bit upset, but the thing is I put myself in this spot. I really did, and I fully understand that and the big thing is moving on and learning from my mistakes. I definitely think I have. I know I have. I've done a lot of talking. I've been patient. I've done a lot of talking, meeting with a lot of guys, and I'm just ready to show it because I think everyone is ready for me to show it.

"

There is certainly some risk involved with this pick, but Gregory also brings incredible upside to the table. He is ninth on Nebraska's all-time sack list with 17.5 in just two seasons, thanks largely to his explosive first step and impressive pursuit speed. He also fills an area of need for the Cowboys because Greg Hardy is suspended 10 games.

Michael Fabiano of NFL.com and NFL Network passed along Dallas' mindset with the pick:

If Gregory works out, this could be the steal of the second round.

Green Bay Packers: Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford

There are certain franchises that always seem to find the diamond in the rough, and the Green Bay Packers fit the bill.

Green Bay selected Stanford wide receiver and kick returner Ty Montgomery late in the third round and landed a player who is ready to come in and contribute right away. He has the straight-line speed to beat corners on deep routes and the foot quickness to create separation on shorter routes and slants. He is also versatile enough to play in the slot or on the outside and is solid after the catch.

The most intriguing part of Montgomery's game from the Packers' perspective is his ability to make game-changing plays on special teams.

He found the end zone four times as a returner the past two seasons and has the vision, elusiveness and speed combination that NFL returners must demonstrate. 

Even if he doesn't catch a single pass but takes a punt or two to the house for the Packers, this will be a successful third-round pick. He will also play in an offense that won't force him to carry too much of the load, and Aaron Rodgers will certainly find him in single coverage when opponents focus too much attention on Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.

This is an absolute steal in the third round.

Baltimore Ravens: Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota 

The Baltimore Ravens targeted tight end Maxx Williams, and they did everything needed to land him.

Baltimore traded the Nos. 58 and 158 picks to the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 55 pick and took Williams. That they leapfrogged archrival Pittsburgh in the process probably made the pick all the more satisfying for Ravens fans.

Williams was the best pass-catching tight end in this class (13 touchdown catches the past two seasons at Minnesota) and will help fill the void left behind by Owen Daniels' departure. Quarterback Joe Flacco was pleased with the selection, per Baltimore sportscaster Gerry Sandusky:

Williams boasts wide receiver-like athleticism with the ball in his hands and immediately opens up the field for Flacco and the Ravens offense. He has the speed to beat linebackers up the seams and on wheel routes and the physicality to outmuscle safeties for passes in traffic, which is all you can ask for from a receiving tight end.

Throw in his ability to track the ball in the red zone and his nose for the end zone, and Williams is an enticing prospect.

He will likely see plenty of action from the first game on this season and could make the difference in a close AFC North race.