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2015 NFL Mock Draft: Schottey’s Final 1st Round From Chicago
It’s finally here!
Like a kid on Christmas, NFL fans treat Draft Day with loads of excitement—and rightfully so! It’s one of the purest moments of absolute positivity that any fan base can have. Gone are the losses and far off is the uncertainty of the coming year. From the fan’s perspective, every single one of these picks is not only going to pan out, but let’s just start carving their bust for Canton.
We know that’s not the reality of the situation, but it’s Draft Day and no one can bring us down.
Don’t love the picks for your favorite team? Leave yours in the comments below!
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Jameis Winston (QB Florida State)
He’s still my own personal No. 2 quarterback, but I think the entire world has been clued into what the Buccaneers think about the pick. If it’s not Winston at No. 1, it’s got to be Mariota…but it’s going to be Winston. The biggest hurdle will be improving more from last year to this year than he did as a two-sport athlete in college.
2. Tennessee Titans—Marcus Mariota (QB Oregon)
Putting Mariota here but it’s unlikely to be for the Titans. Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Diego, Chicago, the New York Jets and other various teams have all been rumored or connected to trading up for this pick. The Titans are going to get a haul of players and/or picks, while the team that trades up gets a quarterback who faces a steep learning curve but has all the tools.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars—Leonard Williams (DT Southern California)
The Jaguars get the top player on a lot of boards here and a player who will make the rest of their defense immensely better from Day 1. The big hurdle here is Gus Bradley taking Williams’ tools and turning him into a better interior pass rusher. If that happens, this is the steal of the century.
4. Oakland Raiders—Dante Fowler Jr. (OLB/DE Florida)
The Raiders have a lot of pressing needs, but grabbing the draft’s top perimeter pass rusher is still a coup (albeit in a deep class where the No. 2 guy is virtually tied in my opinion).
5. Washington—Vic Beasley (OLB/DE Clemson)
Washington needs playmakers on both sides of the ball, and while Beasley is undersized, he can create an awful lot of havoc for pocket passers like Tony Romo and Eli Manning.
6. New York Jets—Amari Cooper (WR Alabama)
Cooper doesn’t make any sense from a need perspective as the Jets have Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, but he’s the top player on my board at this point and the Jets need to build for the long-term. Marshall and Decker are both expensive players, and this adds a top-notch talent at the position who doesn’t cost a ton thanks to the rookie salary scale.
7. Chicago Bears—Alvin “Bud” Dupree (OLB/DE Kentucky)
Dupree is an elite athlete. While that’s a term we throw around a lot, Dupree helps define what it means thanks to incredible explosiveness and movement for his size. He’s not just a workout warrior, though. The Bears are getting a fine pass rusher, which they desperately need.
8. Atlanta Falcons—Kevin White (WR West Virginia)
Roddy White’s best days are long behind him, and Kevin White will likely need a year or two to fully acclimate to the NFL game. This isn’t a huge need fill, but it’s a great fit for the Falcons.
9. New York Giants—Brandon Scherff (OG/OT Iowa)
Get the feeling that Giants fans aren’t excited about this potential pick, but they should be excited about getting the top offensive lineman in the class. Who cares where he plays if he’s playing at a Pro Bowl level from Day 1?
10. St. Louis Rams—Trae Waynes (CB Michigan State)
Waynes has been the top corner on my board throughout the draft process and the Rams need to marry their fantastic defensive front with some more consistent talent on the backend.
11. Minnesota Vikings—Todd Gurley (RB Georgia)
Adrian Peterson might end up playing in Minnesota in 2015, but he won’t be around much longer than that. Gurley is healthier than anyone expected him to be at this point and is the best running back prospect since Peterson. This is an easy fit.
12. Cleveland Browns—DeVante Parker (WR Louisville)
Browns can’t make this pick if they move up to get Mariota, and that would be a shame because Parker could be the No. 1 wide out in a lot of draft classes, and has the physical tools to make the teams that passed on him look very foolish.
13. New Orleans Saints—Arik Armstead (DE/DT Oregon)
Armstead is a quite literal mountain of a man with developing football skills that mean his best days could be ahead of him. Here, Rob Ryan gets a pass-rusher from the 3-4 DE position and helps free up room for those linebackers to make a bigger impact.
14. Miami Dolphins—Dorial Green-Beckham (WR Missouri)
Florida product Breshad Perriman could be the pick here, but DGB has met with the Dolphins and has quietly calmed a lot of concerns around the league. Yes, his past bad acts have crossed him off a lot of team boards, but it only takes one team to recognize his incredible physical talent, and the Dolphins would be wise to take that chance.
15. San Francisco 49ers—Danny Shelton (DT Washington)
The 49ers need a win this offseason and Shelton represents a huge addition to their defense which has hemorrhaged talent over the past couple of months.
16. Houston Texans—Kevin Johnson (CB Wake Forest)
The Texans have invested a lot into their front seven over the past couple of years, and while they still have a hole or two up there, they need more investments into the cornerback position as well, where they’ve had some bumps along the way.
17. San Diego Chargers—Andrus Peat (OT Stanford)
The Chargers like their linemen big, and Peat fits that mold. His addition would likely slide someone inside to play guard, so this fixes two positions for the price of one.
18. Kansas City Chiefs—La’El Collins (OT LSU)
Collins is my top rated tackle, so this is a bit of a draft day slide. The Chiefs would be crazy not to pull the trigger.
19. Cleveland Browns (From Buf.)—D.J. Humphries (OT Florida)
This is a significant reach for Humphries who has a lot of question marks, but so do every other tackle left on the board and Humphries is the best pass protector of them all.
20. Philadelphia Eagles—Landon Collins (S Alabama)
Collins was considered a Top 10 pick not too long ago, and he can have that kind of impact. However, his lack of elite ball skills will likely shift him down the board.
21. Cincinnati Bengals—Ereck Flowers (OT Miami)
The Bengals continue to throw money at the Andy Dalton problem with an athletic but frenetic tackle prospect.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers—Marcus Peters (CB Washington)
Teams are more comfortable with Peters’ character issues than the media is, so he could go higher than this. Here, he helps lessen the blow from years of defensive back issues in Pittsburgh.
23. Detroit Lions—Malcom Brown (DT Texas)
The Lions lost Suh and Fairley this offseason. Brown can’t replace the former, but he can rush the passer from the inside and hold up against the run well enough that the Lions top defense from 2014 doesn’t drop too far this year.
24. Arizona Cardinals—Shane Ray (DE/OLB Missouri)
The Cardinals stop Ray’s slide down the draft board and pick up a good edge-setting linebacker who has room to grow as a pure pass rusher.
25. Carolina Panthers—Randy Gregory (DE/OLB Nebraska)
Similar thought to the Ray pick, but the Panthers get the better pass rusher out of the deal, even if he has lingering off-field concerns and could stand to be 10-15 pounds heavier.
26. Baltimore Ravens—Breshad Perriman (WR Central Florida)
Perriman is still learning how to be a receiver, but has the triangle numbers teams covet.
27. Dallas Cowboys—Melvin Gordon (RB Wisconsin)
The Cowboys lost DeMarco Murray, but gain a back who can take what that Dallas line gives him and turn it into more on a consistent basis.
28. Denver Broncos—Jake Fisher (OT Oregon)
The Manning era is going to be over soon enough, so might as well make sure he’s better protected so it doesn’t end with a big-time sack. Fisher needs way more polish, but he’s tough and super athletic.
29. Indianapolis Colts—Eddie Goldman (DT Florida State)
The Colts need to fix their run defense in the worst way. Goldman is an immediate starter and a huge boost for that unit.
30. Green Bay Packers—Jalen Collins (CB LSU)
Corner isn’t the biggest need for the packers, but Collins has room to grow as a player and could easily be picked 10 spots higher with his skill set.
31. New Orleans Saints (From Sea.)—Eli Harold (DE/OLB Virginia)
More pass rush for a defense that lacked teeth in 2014.
32. New England Patriots—Nelson Agholor (WR USC)
Agholor can play a number of receiver spots in the Patriots multiple scheme and can win matchups all over the field.
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