Seeing as it is still very early in the 2015 NFL Draft process, this mock draft is little more than an experiment and exposure to one of the top needs for each team. A lot can change over the course of the season, but as of now, the draft could turn out like this.
1. Houston Texans: Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Oregon
The Texans needed a quarterback in the last draft, but it is tough to justify taking anyone over a player of Jadeveon Clowney's caliber, especially if he can be paired with JJ Watt. Tom Savage was the Texans recent fourth round pick at quarterback, but he is not a starting caliber quarterback by any means. Mariota is a versatile threat that has flashed the ability to complete any throw.
2. Washington Redskins: Leonard Williams, Defensive Tackle, USC
Even as a freshman at USC, Williams was dominant. He has the ability to be moved all along the line, but would be best fit as a 5-tech in Washington's defense. With him there, he is on the same side as either Brian Orakpo or Ryan Kerrigan, both of which are efficient pass rushers. Having a player as dominant as Williams on the same side of the defense as either of those two edge rushers is terrifying.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dante Fowler, Defensive End, Florida
The Jaguars signed Chris Clemons earlier this off-season and he will likely play the LEO position, but he is not the long-term answer. Fowler is an explosive athlete. Going into the 2014 college football season, he will need to refine his technique, but the raw tools found with him are rare. Bradley could turn Fowler into one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL.
4. Cleveland Browns: Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver, Alabama
Josh Gordon or no Josh Gordon, Cleveland needs another wide receiver. Johnny Manziel, like any young quarterback, would love to have as many talented pass catchers as he can. Cooper, being from Alabama, has gained massive amounts of hype, and well deserved. Had AJ McCarron not forced him to slow down for nearly every deep pass, Cooper's box scores would be super human.
5. Oakland Raiders: Mario Edwards, Defensive End, Florida State
Oakland may have added Justin Tuck and Lamarr Woodley, but do not forget that their best years are behind them. Edwards is a monstrous defensive end that has the ability to elevate Oakland's defensive line as a whole, not just at his position. Edwards gave more trouble to Greg Robinson, the recent No.2 overall pick, than anyone else last season.
6. Atlanta Falcons: Vic Beasley, Defensive End, Clemson
Although Atlanta addressed the interior of the defensive line, there is still a void on the edge. Beasley is a sub-par run defender, but has top notch pass rushing ability. He is a quick defensive end that understands how to convert speed to power and use his hands effectively.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, Quarterback, Florida State
The Buccaneers are close to being a fierce team, but their quarterback situation is holding them back. Mike Glennon is not bad, but he is not the quarterback of the future. Jameis Winston has the prototypical size, arm, mental ability, and athleticism to be the quarterback to take the Buccaneers to the next level.
8. Minnesota Vikings: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Cornerback, Oregon
After failing to properly address cornerback in the past draft, the best cornerback of the 2015 class falls right into their laps. Ekpre-Olomu has all the refinement and NFL-readiness that Darqueze Dennard did, but is a superior athlete. A combo such as that makes Ekpre-Olomu arguably the best cornerback prospect to come out since Patrick Peterson.
9. Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo Bills): Landon Collins, Safety, Alabama
As of now, Collins is a bit raw, but has phenomenal athletic tools. With TJ Ward gone and Tashon Gipson only being average, at best, Collins, arguably the top safety, makes sense. NFL safety play is rather poor, so it is almost a "must" to grab the best ones as early as you can.
10. Detroit Lions: Andrus Peat, Offensive Tackle, Stanford
Following the 2014 season, Riley Reiff's contract will expire. Reiff has underperformed and is not the tackle that a young Matt Stafford needs. Peat is a massive, mauling tackle that also showed adaquete footwork to accompany his power. Peat has the potential to be the NFL's best offensive tackle.
11. Tennessee Titans: Michael Bennett, Defensive Tackle, Ohio State
The Titans are in need of a player that can kick out to 5-tech and provide interior pressure alongside Jurrell Casey. Not only would Bennett improve their 5-tech situation, but his play has the potential to elevate the play of the outside linebacker behind him.
12. New York Giants: La’El Collins, Offensive Guard, LSU
Collins is technically a tackle at LSU, but he simply does not have the footwork to be able to survive at tackle in the NFL. That being said, Collins is an overpowering mover with a stout base, making him a wonderful fit at guard.
13. St. Louis Rams: PJ Williams, Cornerback, Florida State
St. Louis just drafted Lamarcus Joyner, but he is not an outside cornerback. Williams, a former teammate of Joyner, showed shutdown coverage ability last year at the collegiate level. If Williams can translate his ability to the pro level, he will complete a talented cornerback corps.
14. Chicago Bears: Derron Smith, Safety, Fresno State
Quite frankly, the Bears safety situation is quite horrendous. Smith, who has the skill set to be a hybrid safety, can be a moveable, rangy piece in Chicago's secondary.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jalen Collins, Cornerback, LSU
The cornerback corps in Pittsburgh is old and declining, leaving room for a young corner to come in and succeed. Collins is an athletic corner that flashed phenomenal ball skills. He is far from a finished player, but the raw tools are intriguing.
16. Dallas Cowboys: Shawn Oakman, Defensive End, Baylor
Demarcus Lawrence was a great addition at defensive end, but they need to add another. Here, defensive tackle value is poor, even though that may be a bigger need. That aside, Oakman is a similar prospect to Ezekiel Ansah, who had a solid rookie year in Detroit.
17. Baltimore Ravens: Brandon Scherff, Offensive Tackle, Iowa
Right tackle was never truly addressed in the 2014 Draft by Baltimore. Scherff fitd the bill to be a "Ravens" type lineman. He is a massive, brutalizing tackle that will assert dominance in the run game.
18. New York Jets: Kasen Williams, Wide Receiver, Washington
New York added a plethora of late-round receivers, but failed to add a true No.1 receiver. Luckily for them, Williams can be that guy. Few players in football have the spatial awareness that Williams possesses, which is especially impressive when he is also a similar athlete to Dez Bryant.
19. Miami Dolphins: Hayes Pullard, Linebacker, USC
Pullard is a converted safety, and it shows in his play. Pullard has incredibale range, allowing him to be everywhere around the field and cover absurd amounts of ground at a moment's notice. A linebacker with his ability will releive some of the pressure off of the front four, especially in the run game.
20. Arizona Cardinals: Bryce Petty, Quarterback, Baylor
Arizona drafted Logan Thomas, but he is a work in progress. To a lesser extent, so is Petty, but Petty has one of the best, if not the best, deep ball in college football. Not only that, but he is tall and athletic, just like Bruce Arians likes his quarterbacks.
21. Green Bay Packers: Marcus Peters, Cornerback, Washington
Tramon Williams' contract is up after the year, and it would be best to keep Casey Heyward in the slot. With both of those conditions, Peters is a perfect match for Green Bay. Last year, Peters was one of the few cornerbacks to keep Brandi Cooks at bay.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Tre Jackson, Offensive Guard, Florida State
Todd Herremans is not getting any younger and it should be a priority to sustain dominance along the offensive line. Jackson is a raw mauling guard that could create even larger running lanes, as if the Eagles offensive line was not already effective enough at doing such.
23. Kansas City Chiefs: Jaelen Strong, Wide Receiver, Arizona State
While some of it may be accredited to qaurterback play, the Chiefs receiver corps has been rather underwhelming for a few seasons now. Strong is one of the many talented receivers to emerge from the PAC-12, largely due his aggressive ball skills.
24. Cincinnati Bengals: Brett Hundley, Quarterback, UCLA
This situation is rather unlikely, but Andy Dalton has yet to prove that he is a quarterback that elevates his team. Hundley is a risky selection due to his low floor, but reverseley, he could become the best quarterback of this class. Hundley may not be the pick, but Cincinnati needs to move on to another quarterback.
25. San Diego Chargers: Trae Waynes, Cornerback, Michigan State
San Diego taking cornerbacks in the first round in consecutive drafts is not far fetched. Their cornerback play was truly embarrassing and needs a major overhaul. Waynes is seen by some as the better of the two cornerbacks at Michigan State from last season and can be the other cornerback that San Diego needs.
26. Indianapolis Colts: Nelson Agholor, Wide Receiver, USC
Marqise Lee always grabbed the media attention, but Agholor has quitely been the better receiver. He is a good route runner with impressive athletic traits. His hands need some work, but his tools should get teams to look past his minor catching deficiency.
27. New Orleans Saints: Ramik Wilson, Linebacker, Georgia
Every 3-4 defense needs an inside linebacker that noticeably commands the defense, but New Orleans does not have that. Wilson has played in a similar scheme at Georgia and can be the commander in the middle that they need.
28. Carolina Panthers: Dorial Green-Beckham, Wide Reciever, (formerly) Missouri
Green-Beckham's expulsion from Missouri will be a major red flag, but had that not been an issue, he would likely be the first receiver off the board. He may even fall farther than this, but he has the highest potential of any receiver to come out in the past few years. Yes, they also just took Kelvin Benjamin, but Cam Newton deserves a pass catcher of Green-Beckham's caliber.
29. New England Patriots: Deontay Greenberry, Wide Receiver, Houston
Since Randy Moss, New England has not had a big, reliable receiver. Last year, their roster was littered with small receivers and young, unrefined receivers. Greenberry would immediatly be the "X" receiver in New England's offense, seeing that nobody else on the roster is better than him for that position.
30. San Francisco 49ers: Devin Funchess, Wide Receiver/Tight End, Michigan
Whether it be at tight end or at receiver, San Francisco grabs the best player available in Funchess. He can be used in any way imagineable, and his potential would be maximized in San Francisco.
31. Denver Broncos: Randy Gregory, Defensive End, Nebraska
After losing Robert Ayers, the edge rushing corps in Denver is questionable. Gregory, who is being talked about as one of th best pure 4-3 defensive ends, could add that extra flare that Denver could use on the edge.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Shilique Calhoun, Defensive End, Michigan State
The depth at defensive end in Seattle rather poor, and in today's NFL, that simply can not be. Seattle is in the situation to "luxury" pick, leaving the athletic Calhoun to be a perfect edge threat. He does not have to start in his first year and can be baby-stepped into the NFL as a rotational rusher.