Draft day is upon us. Tonight, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will announce the names of 32 players as they look to further their football career in the pros. Here’s where Joe Champine has the 2015 NFL Draft shaping up in the first round.
Joe Champine’s Final Mock Draft
1. Tampa Bay- Jameis Winston, quarterback, Florida State
Last Mock- Jameis Winston
After approximately 75 interviews, background checks and internal investigations, Lovie Smith and Jason Licht hang their careers on Winston as a franchise changer.
2. Tennessee Titans- Marcus Mariota, quarterback, Oregon
Last Mocks- Marcus Mariota, Randy Gregory
Tennessee was aggressive in free agency adding defense and I really think that Tennessee would love to get a king’s ransom for the pick. But in the end they take Mariota to buy a few more years for Whisenhunt and Webster.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Dante Fowler, Jr. outside linebacker/defensive end, Florida
Last Mock- Leonard Williams
Gus Bradley will need to fill the void of a pure pass rusher, or Leo position, on his defense. Pairing Fowler with free agent signing Jared Odrick on the inside will start the re-build of his defense in the right direction.
4. Oakland Raiders- Leonard Williams, defensive tackle, Southern Cal
Last Mocks- Amari Cooper
With two linebackers and a pure nose tackle added in free agency, Reggie McKenzie will take the versatile California product Williams to pair with Khalil Mack to try and get the Raiders back to prominence.
5. Washington Redskins- Vic Beasley, outside linebacker, Clemson
Last Mocks- Shane Ray, Dante Fowler Jr.
With two defensive tackles and Chris Culliver added as a corner in free agency, Beasley will come in and immediately fill the void of Orakpo leaving as a pass rush specialist.
6. New York Jets- Kevin White, wide receiver, West Virginia
Last Mock- Vic Beasley, Shane Ray
The Jets added three top corners in free agency. New head coach Todd Bowles will need to find ways to get the ball in the end zone. While Georgia running back Todd Gurley is attractive here, the Jets will take the home run receiver White.
7. Chicago Bears- Amari Cooper, wide receiver, Alabama
Last Mocks- Randy Gregory, Trae Waynes
With a number of receivers on the board, New general manager Ryan Pace will try and help his aging quarterback and pair the best route runner in Cooper with the deep ball threat that is Alshon Jeffery.
8. Atlanta Falcons- Bud Dupree, outside linebacker, Kentucky
Last Mocks-
Dan Quinn has enough on the offensive side of the ball and will look for a pass rusher to help him in the NFC South like his former boss Gus Bradley did in Jacksonville.
9. New York Giants- La’el Collins, offensive tackle, LSU
Last Mocks- Brandon Schreff, Arik Armstead
The Giants offensive line has been below average for the last two seasons. Manning needs more time in the pocket and with Collins’ versatility of playing four positions across the line, the Giants get great value here at nine.
10. St. Louis Rams- Brandon Scherff, offensive tackle, Iowa
Last Mocks- Andrus Peat, Marcus Mariota
With St. Louis releasing two offensive line starters, the Rams address their need in Scherff. Peat was the choice early, but Scherff helps immediately in the run game for the Rams and Zac Stacy.
11. Minnesota Vikings- Dorial Green-Beckham, wide receiver, Oklahoma
Last Mocks- Todd Gurley, Devante Parker
While DeVante Parker may still be the pick here and Adrian Peterson looking like he is wearing Viking purple for the 2015 season, Minnesota picks Beckham to help Bridgewater get the ball downfield.
12. Cleveland Browns- Danny Shelton, nose tackle, Washington
Last Mocks-
With Cleveland in the AFC North and Phil Taylor’s health in question, look for Shelton to step right in and be a two gap tackle in their system.
13. New Orleans Saints- Randy Gregory, outside linebacker, Nebraska
Last Mock- Kevin White, Shaq Thompson
Rob Ryan needs help on the defensive side of the ball and the year the Saints won the Super Bowl, there was balance on both sides. Gregory comes in and is an immediate upgrade and is the best stand up rusher for New Orleans since Swilling.
14. Miami Dolphins- Todd Gurley, running back, Georgia
Last Mocks- DeVante Parker, Brandon Schreff
With Jordan Cameron coming in as a security blanket for Tannehill, the Dolphins send a curve ball and take Gurley to help with the running play workload.
15. San Francisco 49ers- Arik Armstead, defensive end, Oregon
Last Mock- Marcus Peters
Armstead is a freakish athlete and will fill one of the many holes on the 49ers defense. Pairing Armstead with Aldon Smith on the edge, the 49ers will at least help their secondary by hopefully getting to quarterback more often. You may see a trade here if the Niners can move up to Washington to get Amari Cooper.
16. Houston Texans- Trae Waynes, cornerback, Michigan State
Last Mock- Andrus Peat
This is a great value pick at 16. Waynes is the best corner in the draft. The Texans get some help on defense for JJ Watt and Clowney. In a division with Andrew Luck and very little done in free agency thus far, Waynes is an immediate upgrade at cornerback.
17. San Diego Chargers- Melvin Gordon, running back, Wisconsin
Last Mocks- Jalen Collins, La’el Collins
With the Chargers going out and getting Orlando Franklin in free agency, San Diego looks to try and help Phillip Rivers. With Ryan Matthews gone, Gordon can step right in and be a difference maker in the AFC West
18. Kansas City Chiefs- Andrus Peat, offensive tackle, Stanford
Last Mocks- Marcus Peters, Landon Collins
With all of the issues in the Chiefs secondary last year, the Chiefs will look at both Peters and Landon Collins here. But in the end, Peat can come in and play left tackle to protect the blind side of Alex Smith.
19. Cleveland Browns- DeVante Parker, wide receiver, Louisville
Last Mocks- T.J Clemmings, Danny Shelton
Addressing defense at 12, Cleveland will look to fill the void left by the suspension of Josh Gordon in Parker, who combines speed with good route running skills.
20. Philadelphia Eagles- Jaelen Strong, wide receiver, Arizona State
Last Mocks- Bud Dupree, Marcus Mariota
With all of the turnover this offseason, this is the pick that I am least confident to make. The Eagles need a lot of help on defense, but Kelly cannot help himself with the pick of Strong, who he knows well from the Pac-12.
21. Cincinnati Bengals- Landon Collins, strong safety, Alabama
Last Mocks- La’El Collins, Maxx Williams
Marvin Lewis knows that a dynamic safety in the back seven cures a lot of defensive ills. Collins can come in and play the Ed Reed position in Lewis’ defensive scheme.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kevin Johnson, cornerback, Wake Forest
Last Mocks- Landon Collins, Bud Dupree
The Steelers have to replace Ike Taylor in the secondary, and with Collins gone, Johnson fills the need at corner with the Steelers looking to fill safety in round two.
23. Detroit Lions- Breshad Perriman, wide receiver, Central Florida
Last Mock- Eddie Goldman
With Calvin Johnson nearing free agency, the Lions protect the future with the addition of Perriman.
24. Arizona Cardinals- Marcus Peters, cornerback, Washington
Last Mocks- Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley
Arizona is equipped with a good defense, even without Todd Bowles. But with both running backs off the board, look for the Cardinals to add another piece to their secondary in Peters.
25. Carolina Panthers- D.J. Humphries, offensive tackle, Florida
Last Mock- D.J. Humphries
Carolina has a franchise quarterback in Newton and they have to protect him. Humphries is the type of tackle that can be plugged and played immediately.
26. Baltimore Ravens- Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver, Miami (FL)
Last Mocks- Maxx Williams, Jalen Collins
After losing six free agents this offseason, Baltimore takes value in Dorsett as a new target for Joe Flacco to replace Torrey Smith.
27. Dallas Cowboys- Malcolm Brown, defensive tackle, Texas
Last Mocks- P.J Williams, Melvin Gordon
If Dallas can trade up to get a running back or part with a later pick for Peterson, they will. If not, they will take the former Longhorn to bolster the middle of the line.
28. Denver Broncos- Eddie Goldman, defensive tackle, Florida State
Last Mocks- Danny Shelton, Devin Funchess
Denver fills the hole left by Knighton by bringing in Goldman in the middle of their defensive line.
29. Indianapolis Colts- Ereck Flowers, offensive tackle, Miami (FL)
Last Mocks- Gerod Holliman, Jaelen Strong
While Indy could use help in the secondary, a tackle like Flowers to protect Luck is too good to pass up.
30. Green Bay Packers- Jalen Collins, cornerback, Louisiana State
Last Mocks-Ronald Darby, PJ Williams
With Davon House leaving for Jacksonville, Green Bay fills their biggest hole on the defense with Collins falling to him.
31. New Orleans Saints (from Seattle)- Nelson Agohlor, wide receiver, Southern Cal
Last Mock- Shaq Thompson
With addressing the defense earlier, Sean Payton gets a very good route runner to help fill the void of Jimmy Graham with Agohlor.
32. New England Patriots- Cameron Erving, guard/center, Florida State
Last Mock- Benardrick McKinney
The Patriots look to add a piece that can contribute right away. Erving can play four positions on the line right away and try to fill the void left by Logan Mankins.
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