<![CDATA[1. Oakland Raiders- Jameis Winston, QB, Florida St.
Let’s face it, this kid is as good a QB as we have seen in the past 10 years and by the time next years draft rolls around he may have a second Heisman in his trophy case and will be routed as the next can’t miss prospect under center. It’s a no-brainer for the Raiders, even if they do have the young Derek Carr on the roster.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars- Leonard Williams, DT, USC
Williams totaled five sacks as a sophomore at USC and seems poised for a great year. The Jags think they have their guy in Blake Bortles and will have Marqise Lee and Justin Blackmon for him to throw to. Now they start building a pass rush to pair with a young offense.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Mike Glennon is not the future and the Bucs will be kicking themselves for not taking Johnny Manziel this year when they play their way into a top 3 pick. With Mike Evans begging for someone to throw him the ball with some sense of accuracy, they will take Mariota who if not for Jameis, would be the number one overall pick. Almost a steal to get him at the third spot.
4. Minnesota Vikings- Mario Edwards, DE, Florida St.
The Seminoles defense is going to be monstrous this year and Edwards is poised to be the leader of the defensive squad. An animal like him on defense will fit perfectly into the plans of Mike Zimmer in Minnesota.
5. Houston Texans- Cameron Erving, OT, Florida St.
6. New York Jets- Benardrick McKinney, OLB, Mississippi St.
Rex Ryan looks to reload on defense and McKinney is just the kind of physical freak that Rex loves in his system. He will be one of the top defensive players in the SEC this year and I would be shocked if he didn’t end up being a top 10 pick.
7. Cleveland Browns (Via Bills)- Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Cleveland is re-energized with Johnny Manziel in town but is still very thin at the receiver position, and with the future of Josh Gordon on shaky ground they have no choice but to address that offensive weakness. Johnny gets a new toy with this pick as the Browns pick up the best receiver in the draft who I expect to put up monster numbers this year at Alabama.
8. St. Louis Rams- Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
9. New York Giants- Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan St.
Calhoun is an athletic freak at the DE position and we all know that is the kind of player the Giants can’t resist. He will be able to come in and contribute right away and will let the Giants get younger on the defensive line. It’s a perfect fit for both sides.
10. Miami Dolphins- Noah Spence, DE, Ohio St.
11. Tennessee Titans- Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor
Another team will be kicking themselves for passing on Johnny Football and this time it will be the Titans as they draft a new signal caller with the 11th pick. Petty will put up gigantic numbers in that Baylor offense once again but will slip from the top 10 with so many good QBs available in this class. I would expect Petty to compete for the starting job right away if he lands in Tennessee.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers- Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
13. Detroit Lions- Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Eastern Illinois
After leaving the Missouri program because of off the field trouble with the law, Beckham will put up some very good numbers in a smaller conference but will still find himself outside of the top 10 due to concerns over his past. The Lions could get the steal of the draft here because if not for the issues away from the field, Beckham would more than likely be a top 5 pick.
14. Cleveland Browns- La’el Collins, OT, LSU
15. Kansas City Chiefs- P.J. Williams, CB, Florida St.
Another Seminole goes off the board in the first round as the Chiefs pick up the top corner in the draft. As I mentioned before the FSU defense will be a historically dominating one this season and we see the results as Williams goes in the top 15. Kansas City will have more than one hole to fill but if they take the best player available, Williams is an easy choice. A ball hawking corner who was the defensive MVP of the title game a year ago is a great start to building a younger secondary in KC.
16. Cincinnati Bengals- Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
After another disappointing year from Andy Dalton the Bengals finally look to turn the page. Hundley slips all the way to 16 but make no mistake he could be one of the two best QBs taken this year. With a slew of offensive weapons at his hands and a stout defense backing him up, Hundley could make the Bengals a serious contender right away. Hundley is the most dynamic of the quarterbacks in this draft and will take the Cincy offense to the next level, and could make it the best in the league in just a short amount of time.
17. San Diego Chargers- Landon Collins, S, Alabama
18. Atlanta Falcons- Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St.
Atlanta needs all of the defensive help they can get and by adding Waynes they get a shutdown corner for years to come that they can build the secondary around. Waynes will be comparable to his former teammate Darqueze Dennard when he enters the draft and has very good size for a corner.
19. Arizona Cardinals- Jalen Strong, WR, Arizona St.
20. Chicago Bears- Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
The rich get richer as the Bears defense adds Beasley, who comes back to Clemson for one more year after posting an impressive 16 sack season last year. I would consider him a steal at the 20th pick and wouldn’t be surprised if he made a push for defensive ROY honors in the AFC. In a few years, the Bears could develop him into the anchor of their defense and it seems like the perfect place for Beasley to be able to reach his full potential.
21. Washington Redskins- Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio St.
22. Indianapolis Colts- Nick O’Leary, TE, Florida St.
Another Seminole comes off the board in round one, this time it’s on the offensive side of the ball. O’Leary goes from having Jameis Winston as his quarterback to being paired with Andrew Luck so he may be the luckiest tight end in the history of football. With Winston at the helm he could put up a great year in the ACC and Andrew Luck can never have too many reliable pass catchers in Indianapolis.
23. Dallas Cowboys- Devonte Fields, DE, TCU
The Cowboys decided not to address defensive needs in the first round this year, but next year they will look to build a great pass rush once again, starting with Fields. Fields could have been a much higher pick but will likely fall due to a few suspensions. Those types of things have never caused Jerry Jones to shy away from a potentially great player, and with a chance to solidify the pass rushing ability of their defense, the Cowboys can’t pass on the young TCU stud.
24. Baltimore Ravens- Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
The Ravens have drafted a defensive player in the first round for five straight years and next year will be no different. Olomu is one of the best athletes in the draft and with a good year at Oregon could find himself in the top 15. However, if he drops to the Ravens at 24, they will have never seen a great athlete on defense that they didn’t jump at the chance to draft. Again, the defensively rich get defensively richer.
25. Philadelphia Eagles- Dante Fowler, DE, Florida
26. New Orleans Saints- Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor
The Saints 2014 draft had Rob Ryan’s fingerprints all over it and I expect more of the same in 2015 as they add a tremendous pass rusher in Oakman. The Saints will have plenty of firepower on offense once again this year, but they will have to address some defensive holes next year and they find a great fit here in round one.
27. San Francisco 49ers- Denzel Perryman, LB, Miami
28. New England Patriots- Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
After no running backs were taken in the first round the last two years, the Patriots break that streak by taking the best back in the class, Georgia’s Todd Gurley. Running backs seem endangered nowadays in the draft but Gurley is a different kind of player. He is simply a beast for the Bulldogs and I expect him to be one at the NFL level as well. Gurley will be one of the best backs in the league in a year or so and we will see that the Pats outsmarted the rest of the league once again.
29. Green Bay Packers- Devin Funchess, TE, Michigan
30. Carolina Panthers- DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
The Panthers were severely weak on the receiver front from last year and while adding Kelvin Benjamin will be a huge help, they still need to add another weapon for Cam Newton. Parker shined at Louisville with Teddy Bridgewater and would have been one of the top wideouts in the 2014 draft but chose to return for his senior year. His numbers will drop without Teddy throwing to him but the talent will remain and an offense with Cam, Benjamin and Parker could take the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015.
31. Denver Broncos- Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
32. Seattle Seahawks- Cedric Reed, DE, Texas]]>
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