1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston – QB, Florida St.
The Buccaneers have to take a chance on Winston. On the field, he is everything you could want in a franchise quarterback. Off the field, he is everything you don’t want. If Winston performs well and can stay out of trouble, the Buccaneers will become a competitive team very quickly.
2. Tennessee Titans: Leonard Williams – DE, USC
The Titans added Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Orakpo in free agency and brought back former first round pick Derrick Morgan. Adding Leonard Williams at defensive end will give the Titans a devastating pass rush they desperately need. I debated them taking Mariota for a long time and will continue to flip-flop most likely until draft day. But for now, I think Williams is the pick.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dante Fowler Jr. – OLB, Florida
The Jaguars sprint to the stage to select Dante Fowler and finally add a violent edge rusher who will be terrorizing backfields for years to come.
4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper – WR, Alabama
The debate here was Cooper or Kevin White. I think Kevin White has more superstar potential down the line, but Amari Cooper is a more complete receiver. Derek Carr needs help now, so they go with Cooper. But I will say this, if Al Davis were making the pick, it would be Kevin White.
5. Washington Redskins: Vic Beasley- OLB, Clemson
The Redskins need an immediate replacement for Brain Orakpo, and Vic Beasley might be the cleanest stand up pass rusher in the draft. His cover skills need work, but pairing him with Ryan Kerrigan should bring back the pass rush the Redskins desperately need. They also may trade back to fill the many holes on both sides of the ball. They also pass on Mariota.
6. New York Jets: Marcus Mariota – QB, Oregon
The Jets hit the reset button at quarterback once again. Geno Smith has proven that he is not a franchise quarterback. Mariota gives the Jets a playmaker that knows how to win games. It will take some time before he reaches any high level of success, but it certainly gives the organization hope.
7. Chicago Bears: Shane Ray – DE, Missouri
I am a strong believer that if Mariota is still available at seven, the Bears will pull the trigger. But he is not, so they take the best available player and help rebuild their defensive front.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Randy Gregory – OLB, Nebraska
The Falcons have tried to add a top-tier pass rusher for several years now and they are finally in the spot to do it. They roll the dice and overlook Gregory’s failed drug test at the combine and hope he can anchor their pass rush for years to come.
9. New York Giants: Brandon Scherff – OG, Iowa
If the Giants have any hope of returning to postseason glory, they need to fix their offensive line. Eli Manning is a good quarterback and can get back to the postseason as long as the Giants take the best offensive linemen in the draft.
10. St. Louis Rams: Kevin White – WR, West Virginia
The Rams took a West Virginia wide receiver in the first round just a few years back and he did not quite turn out to be the dominant deep threat they had hoped for. So they hope the second time is the charm and get one of the best playmakers in the draft, and Nick Foles is thrilled with his arrival present.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Andrus Peat – OT, Stanford
The Vikings will use the #11 pick to help their second-year quarterback in any way possible. So that gives them two options: someone to block for him, or a weapon in the passing game. I think they take the best tackle in the draft and try to keep Bridgewater up right and healthy for years to come.
12. Cleveland Browns: DeVante Parker – WR, Louisville
The Browns desperately need weapons in the passing game, and DeVante Parker has been sliding up draft boards ever since the combine. He would give them an immediate deep threat who can stretch the field for whoever ends up starting at QB in Cleveland.
13. New Orleans Saints: Trae Waynes – CB, Michigan St.
The Saints entered a rebuilding year when they traded away all-pro tight end Jimmy Graham. They cannot really go wrong with their two first round picks. At 13, I see them grabbing the best corner in the draft.
14. Miami Dolphins: Jalen Collins – CB, LSU
The Dolphins look to fortify their secondary and grab Jalen Collins who was an absolute ball hawk at LSU.
15. San Francisco 49ers: Arik Armstead – DT, Oregon
At 6-foot-8, 290 lbs., Armstead is an absolute roadblock that will anchor the 49ers defensive line. With all of the departures the 49ers suffered this offseason, Armstead will be a welcomed addition.
16. Houston Texans: T.J. Clemmings – OT, Pittsburgh
The Texans could easily go wide receiver and take UCF’s Breshad Perriman, or if they feel like taking the big risk, they could select Dorial Green-Beckham. I think they play it safe and fortify their offensive line and get a plug and play left tackle.
17. San Diego Chargers: Danny Shelton – NT, Washington
Shelton would be a perfect fit for a two-gap scheme, but with his pure athleticism and interior pass rushing ability, I do not see the Chargers passing up a chance to watch Shelton harass backfields for years to come.
18. Kansas City Chiefs: Breshad Perriman – WR, Central Florida
The Chiefs wide receiver corp did not score a single touchdown last year. In today’s pass happy NFL, how is that even possible? What’s even crazier is that the Chiefs were not terrible last year, so it makes no sense to me. What is clear is that they need to improve their wide receiver corp and putting Perriman across from Jeremy Maclin would be a massive improvement from 2014.
19. Cleveland Browns: Malcolm Brown – DT, Texas
The Browns went wide receiver with their first pick so they go defensive line with the second. Brown can play in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense and already has the hand speed of an NFL starter.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: Landon Collins- S, Alabama
The Eagles get lucky that Collins slides to #20 and they sprint to the podium to make the pick. The Eagles desperately needed to improve their secondary this offseason and with the addition of Byron Maxwell and now Collins they should have a much improved defense in 2015.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Kevin Johnson – CB, Wake Forest
Johnson is incredibly versatile and one of the best pure athletes in the draft. He started three years at Wake Forest and excels at man coverage. If he goes to the Bengals, I see him starting by week 1.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jordan Phillips – NT, Oklahoma
Phillips has the size and potential to be a Pro Bowl nose tackle after a few years. His skills are raw, but at 6-foot-6, 334 lbs, he can probably start and improve quickly.
23. Detroit Lions: Eddie Goldman – DT, Florida St.
The Lions lost both Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh in free agency and need to beef up their defensive line fast. They traded for Haloti Ngata, but they need someone on the right side of 30.
24. Arizona Cardinals: Bud Dupree – OLB, Kentucky
The Cardinals need to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks to stay competitive in the most difficult division in football. Dupree lacks consistency but when he’s on he is unstoppable.
25. Carolina Panthers: D.J. Humphries – OT, Florida
The Panthers need the best out of Cam Newton to make it back to the postseason, even though last year was a fluke. To do that, they will need Newton healthy and upright therefore they select Humphries at #25. Humphries has elite size and strength but will take some time before he’s ready for the blind side, so I see him starting at right tackle for a year or two.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Todd Gurley – RB, Georgia
Even though the Ravens brought back Justin Forsett, they know he is not a long-term solution. Gurley has the potential to be a top-five back in the NFL, and is referred to by some as the best running back to enter the draft since Adrian Peterson. If Gurley is still available at 26, I do not see the Ravens passing him up.
27. Dallas Cowboys: Michael Bennett – DT, Ohio St.
Bennett is a big-bodied, strong interior presence on the defensive line, and will help Dallas begin to repair their dismal defense from 2014 as they make another run for the postseason in 2015.
28. Denver Broncos: La’El Collins – OT, LSU
Collins could go anywhere in the first round, but I have a few guys ranked higher than him. The Broncos would be thrilled to add him to their line and help keep Manning healthy for one last ride.
29. Indianapolis Colts: Paul Dawson – ILB, TCU
Dawson was an absolute monster his senior year at TCU and is the best inside linebacker in the draft. The Colts get lucky and take the best defensive player available and fill a huge need on their defense.
30. Green Bay Packers: Eric Kendricks – ILB, UCLA
Kendricks is a perfect fit for a 4-3 defense because he can play both inside linebacker and outside linebacker. After moving Clay Matthews inside in 2014, the Packers need a replacement on the outside, and I have Kendricks as their guy.
31. New Orleans Saints: Dorial Green-Beckham – WR, Missouri
The Saints take the biggest gamble in the first round by selecting Dorial Green-Beckham. On the field, Green-Beckham has the stature and physicality to be among the ranks of Calvin Johnson. His routes need work and he will drop the occasional home run ball but would give the Saints an unquestioned number one new target. Off the field, he is a nightmare, so much so that he may fall far into the second round.
32. New England Patriots: Melvin Gordon – RB, Wisconsin
Patriots have big needs on the defensive line and secondary but I think they would love to have Gordon take the pressure off of Brady for a few years and try to get another ring.
More 2015 NFL Draft Coverage from Fox Sports:
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