# 2015 NFL Draft markdown=yes * * ## Draft Order and Picks code.Pick Team Player 1 Tampa Bay 2 Tennessee 3 Jacksonville 4 Oakland 5 Washington 6 New York Jets 7 Chicago 8 Atlanta 9 New York Giants 10 St. Louis 11 Minnesota 12 Cleveland 13 New Orleans 14 Miami 15 San Francisco 16 Houston 17 San Diego 18 Kansas City 19 Cleveland (from Buf) 20 Philadelphia 21 Cincinnati 22 Pittsburgh 23 Detroit 24 Arizona 25 Carolina 26 Baltimore 27 Dallas 28 Denver 29 Indianapolis 30 Green Bay 31 New Orleans (from Seattle) 32 New England code.. ## Top Ranked Players ESPN [story](http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/rankings?year=2015) code.SCOUTS INC.'S TOP 32 FOR 2015 Player Pos. School Grade 1. Jameis Winston* QB Florida St 97 2. Leonard Williams* DE USC 96 3. Amari Cooper* WR Alabama 94 4. Dante Fowler Jr.* DE Florida 93 5. Marcus Mariota* QB Oregon 93 6. Brandon Scherff OT Iowa 93 7. Kevin White WR W Virginia 93 8. Todd Gurley* RB Georgia 92 9. DeVante Parker WR Louisville 92 10. Trae Waynes* CB Michigan St 91 11. Andrus Peat* OT Stanford 91 12. Arik Armstead* DE Oregon 91 13. Ereck Flowers* OT Miami (FL) 90 14. Danny Shelton DT Washington 90 15. Kevin Johnson CB Wake Forest 90 16. Cameron Erving C Florida St 90 17. Melvin Gordon* RB Wisconsin 90 18. Randy Gregory* OLB Nebraska 90 19. Malcom Brown* DT Texas 90 20. Breshad Perriman* WR UCF 90 21. Marcus Peters* CB Washington 90 22. La'el Collins OT LSU 90 23. Nelson Agholor* WR USC 89 24. Bud Dupree OLB Kentucky 89 25. Vic Beasley OLB Clemson 89 26. Eddie Goldman* DT Florida St 89 27. Phillip Dorsett WR Miami (FL) 88 28. Devin Smith WR Ohio State 88 29. Eric Kendricks ILB UCLA 88 30. Jaelen Strong* WR Arizona St 88 31. Shane Ray* OLB Missouri 88 32. D.J. Humphries* OT Florida 88 * Denotes draft-eligible non-senior code.. ### Grading Scale **90-100 Rare Prospect** Player demonstrates rare abilities and can create mismatches that have an obvious impact on the game. Is a premier college player that has all the skill to take over a game and play at a championship level. He rates in the top 5 players in the nation at his position and is considered a first round draft prospect. **80-89 Outstanding Prospect** Player has abilities to create mismatches versus most opponents in the NFL. A feature player that has an impact on the outcome of the game. Cannot be shut down by a single player and plays on a consistent level week in and week out. He rates in the top 10 at his position and is considered a second round draft prospect. **70-79 Solid Prospect** Still a standout player at the college level that is close to being an elite player. He has no glaring weaknesses and will usually win his individual matchups, but does not dominate in every game, especially when matched up against the top players in the country. He will usually rate in the top third of players at his position and is considered a third round draft prospect. ## Top 5 Rankings by Position Apr 28, 2015 NFL.com [story.](http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000488475/article/mike-mayocks-2015-nfl-draft-position-rankings-50) *"Mike Mayock's final position-by-position rankings for the 2015 NFL Draft:"* br. **Quarterback** 1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon 2. Jameis Winston, Florida State 3. Bryce Petty, Baylor 4. Brett Hundley, UCLA 5. Sean Mannion, Oregon State *Rise:* Hundley (5), Mannion (NR) *Fall:* Garrett Grayson, Colorado State (4) br. **Running back** 1. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin 2. Todd Gurley, Georgia 3. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska 4. Duke Johnson, Miami (Fla.) 5. Tevin Coleman, Indiana *Fall:* T.J. Yeldon, Alabama (T-5) br. **Wide receiver** 1. Kevin White, West Virginia 2. Amari Cooper, Alabama 3. DeVante Parker, Louisville 4. Breshad Perriman, Central Florida 5. Nelson Agholor, USC *Fall:* Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri (T-5) br. **Tight end** 1. Maxx Williams, Minnesota 2. Clive Walford, Miami (Fla.) 3. Tyler Kroft, Rutgers 4. Blake Bell, Oklahoma 5. Jeff Heuerman, Ohio State *Rise:* Kroft (4) *Fall:* Bell (3) br. **Interior offensive linemen** 1. Brandon Scherff, Iowa 2. Cameron Erving, Florida State 3. Laken Tomlinson, Duke 4. A.J. Cann, South Carolina 5. Mitch Morse, Missouri *Rise:* Morse (NR) *Fall:* Tre' Jackson, Florida State (5) br. **Offensive tackle** 1. La'el Collins, LSU 2. Ereck Flowers, Miami (Fla.) 3. D.J. Humphries, Florida 4. Andrus Peat, Stanford 5. T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh *Fall:* Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M (T-5) br. **Interior defensive linemen** 1. Leonard Williams, USC 2. Danny Shelton, Washington 3. Arik Armstead, Oregon 4. Malcom Brown, Texas 5. Eddie Goldman, Florida State *Rise:* Shelton (4) *Fall:* Armstead (2), Brown (3), Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma (T-5) br. **Edge rusher** 1. Dante Fowler, Jr., Florida 2. Bud Dupree, Kentucky 3. Vic Beasley, Clemson 4. Randy Gregory, Nebraska 5. Shane Ray, Missouri *Rise:* Dupree (4) *Fall:* Gregory (2) br. **Linebacker** 1. Paul Dawson, TCU 2. Eric Kendricks, UCLA 3. Stephone Anthony, Clemson 4. Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.) 5. Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State br. **Cornerback** 1. Trae Waynes, Michigan State 2. Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest 3. Marcus Peters, Washington 4. Jalen Collins, LSU 5. Byron Jones, Connecticut *Rise:* Johnson (4) *Fall:* Collins (2), Eric Rowe, Utah (T-5) br. **Safety** 1. Damarious Randall, Arizona State 2. Landon Collins, Alabama 3. Shaq Thompson, Washington 4. Quinten Rollins, Miami (Ohio) 5. Jaquiski Tartt, Samford *Fall:* Alex Carter, Stanford (T-5) ## Tony Grossi's Mock Draft 11.0 Apr 30, 2015 [post](http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=44821) > "Mock draft 11.0: This is it – our official prediction on how the first round unfolds in Thursday’s NFL draft." > "One caveat: We don’t predict trades and fully accept that one trade can cause this mock to fall apart like a Browns defense in a season opener. (Cheap shot, agreed.)" 1. Tampa Bay: QB Jameis Winston, Florida State - *The 2013 Heisman winner goes wire to wire.* 2. Tennessee: QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon - *I am not ruling out a future trade to San Diego after this selection is made.* 3. Jacksonville: OLB Dante Fowler, Florida - *In the end, Gus Bradley chooses pass rusher over run stuffer.* 4. Oakland: DT Leonard Williams, Southern California - *New coach Jack Del Rio casts the deciding vote.* 5. Washington: OLB Vic Beasley, Clemson - *A Redskins trade down is more likely.* 6. N.Y. Jets: DT Danny Shelton, Washington - *Why do you think Muhammad Wilkerson is reportedly available in trade?* 7. Chicago: WR Amari Cooper, Alabama - *Very nice replacement for traded Brandon Marshall.* 8. Atlanta: LB Alvin Dupree, Kentucky - *Likely team to move up to No. 5.* 9. N.Y. Giants: RB Todd Gurley, Georgia - *This may be the only mock draft where you’ll find this selection.* 10. St. Louis: OT Brandon Scherff, Iowa - *Nick Foles is less mobile than Sam Bradford.* 11. Minnesota: WR Kevin White, West Virginia - *Too good to pass up.* 12. Cleveland: WR DeVante Parker, Louisville - *Ray Farmer’s receiver allergy is corrected by medication.* 13. New Orleans: CB Trae Waynes, Michigan State - *Defense figures to be the order of the day.* 14. Miami: CB Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest - *Think Tom Brady. Everybody in the AFC East is.* 15. San Francisco: DE Arik Armstead, Oregon - *Every mock draft around the globe has this one nailed.* 16. Houston: WR Brashad Perriman, Central Florida - *Substantial speed upgrade over departed Andre Johnson.* 17. San Diego: RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin - *Anybody look at their running back depth chart lately?* 18. Kansas City: OL Cameron Erving, Florida State - *A very prudent pick.* 19. Cleveland: DT Malcom Brown, Texas. - *Versatility on defensive line is Mike Pettine’s desire.* 20. Philadelphia: CB Byron Jones, Connecticut - *Chip Kelly’s roots are in the northeast and he needs a cornerback.* 21. Cincinnati: OT Andrus Peat, Stanford - *Both Bengals offensive tackles are in last year of their contracts.* 22. Pittsburgh: CB Marcus Peters, Washington - *There is an inarguable urgency at cornerback.* 23. Detroit: DT Eddie Goldman, Florida State - *Better than Ndamukong Suh v. run? Naw.* 24. Arizona: DE-OLB Shane Ray, Missouri - *Stacked Cardinals can go in a lot of directions.* 25. Carolina: OT D.J. Humphries, Florida - *Lots of tackles to choose from.* 26. Baltimore: WR Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri - *What just happened?* 27. Dallas: RB Jay Ajayi, Boise State - *Guess this rules out a trade for Adrian Peterson.* 28. Denver: OT Jake Fisher, Oregon - *The Gary Kubiak era begins with offensive line help.* 29. Indianapolis: OT T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh - *Too highly-graded to ignore.* 30. Green Bay: LB Eric Kendricks, UCLA - *Didn’t they release A.J. Hawk?* 31. New Orleans: WR Phillip Dorsett, Miami - *Pick received in trade of Jimmy Graham goes to offensive playmaker.* 32. New England: LB Randy Gregory, Nebraska - *Bill Belichick could use this draft to stock up on 2016 picks.* ## News, Rumors, and Thoughts * [Pro Football Talk RSS Feed](http://jothut.com/cgi-bin/junco.pl/blogpost/44158/Pro-Football-Talk) * [Tony Grossi Twitter](https://twitter.com/TonyGrossi) * [RapSheet Twitter](https://twitter.com/RapSheet) ### Browns to No. 2? Around 12:35 p.m. on Wed, Apr 29, 2015, a story broke on ESPN that the Browns offered TN their no. 12 and no. 19 picks for TN's no. 2 slot so that Cle could draft Oregon QB Marcus Mariota. > Apr 29, 2015 - NFL - [Browns have best chance to move up to No. 2 in draft](http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000488785/article/browns-have-best-chance-to-move-up-to-no-2-in-draft?campaign=Twitter_atn) A short time later, however, some news said that the Browns made no such offer. Also, other news stated that San Diego and Philly were interested in TN's no. 2 pick. SD would trade QB Rivers to TN. It's probable that TN would want more from Cle than Cle's two first round picks in this draft. > Apr 29, 2015 - RapSheet [tweet](https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/593579408448958464) > "Browns have that. RT @mikefreemanNFL: One team executive tells me the Titans were asking for THREE No. 1s for second pick. He laughed." People believe that Cle would have to surrender this year's no. 12 and no. 19 and next year's first round pick. That's a lot for a team that needs help on the offensive line, defensive line, WR, and TE. Plus, Cle needs a kicker and a punt returner. All winter and spring, Philly head coach Chip Kelly has stated that newly-acquired QB Sam Bradford (from St. Louis) would be his QB. But a lot of people didn't believe Kelly. > Apr 30, 2015 - PFT - [Mariota to Eagles keeps gaining steam](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/30/mariota-to-eagles-keeps-gaining-steam/) For some reason during the off-season, it was mentioned that Bradford may get traded to Cle. I think that Bradford is in the final year of his current contract. I don't think that he's interested in playing for Cle. Even if he plays for the Browns in 2015, he would probably bolt next year. The trade makes no sense for Cle. Bradford is injury-prone. He's underperformed during his time at St. Louis. Is Bradford a dramatic improvement over Josh McCown who the Browns acquired during the free agency period? > Apr 30, 2015 - PFT - [Browns intent on getting a franchise quarterback](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/29/profootballtalk-browns-intent-on-getting-a-franchise-quarterback/) > Apr 30, 2015 - PFT - [Browns think they can get Sam Bradford today](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/30/report-browns-think-they-can-get-sam-bradford-today/) > Apr 30, 2015 - MMQB - [Big rumor involving Marcus Mariota, Tennessee’s No. 2 pick, Philly, Cleveland and Sam Bradford](http://mmqb.si.com/2015/04/30/marcus-mariota-trade-eagles-titans-browns-nfl-draft-rumors/) > "Seven weeks ago Kelly traded starting quarterback Nick Foles to St. Louis for a package that included quarterback Sam Bradford. To get the second pick in the draft, the Eagles would have to do one of two things: ship Bradford to Tennessee as part of the deal, or ship Bradford to Cleveland to get a first-round pick, which Kelly would then flip to Tennessee as part of a deal for Mariota. It would take two first-round picks plus something significant, most likely, to get the Oregon passer." > "One NFL source in Chicago late Wednesday night told me Cleveland believes it has a good chance before the draft to deal for Bradford." ### Saints The New Orleans Saints also have two first round draft picks: no. 13 and no. 31. Will the Saints try to acquire Mariota who will then wait behind Drew Brees for two to four years until Drew's contract ends or he retires? It would similar to Rodgers waiting behind Favre for a three or four years. Currently, Drew is 36-years-old. > "On July 13, [2012,] the Saints and Brees agreed to a 5-year, $100 million contract." I assume that the contract ends after the 2016 or 2017 season when Drew will be approx 38- or 39-years-old. A QB drafted by the Saints in 2015 may only have to sit out two or three seasons and start in 2017 or 2018. Green Bay selected Rogers with the 24th pick of the first round in the 2005 draft. During that draft, Favre was 35-years-old. Brett's final year at GB was the 2007 season. Rodgers sat out his first three years. Brees-Mariota is similar to Favre-Rodgers. ### Two First Round Picks Again For the second-consecutive year, Cleveland starts the draft with TWO first round draft picks. Two straight years with two no. ones. I think that it's only the fourth time Cle has had two picks in the first round. But how often does it happen for ANY NFL team to have two first round picks in two straight years? Now Cle may wheel and deal and wind up with only one first round pick tonight, but the point remains that at the end of the regular season, Cle had two first round picks. Last year, Gilbert and Manziel proved to be big-time busts. Gilbert, however, was highly rated by all the so-called experts. He was ranked as the top defensive back or CB in last year's draft. And he was highly ranked as one of the best athletes in the draft. Therefore, it's possible that Gilbert may turn it around, and at least be a regular on passing down situations. If Manziel is at best the no. 3 QB for the Browns, and if Gilbert shows no improvement, then both should be released before the regular season begins. I think that the Browns will make no movement up and down in this year's draft. The Browns will pick at 12 and 19. The Browns interior line on offense and defense needs to be improved. Apparently, this year's draft contains several good WR. The Browns passed on Watkins, Evans, and Beckham last year, and all three played well at WR for rookies. This past season, the Browns got mulled by the Bengals in December in Cleveland. Cincy destroyed the Browns at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. It was only one game, but it was near the end of the season against a divisional team with slim playoff chances still available. At least .500 season on the line. The Browns defense was poor last year against the rush. I'm guessing that the Browns will take a defensive lineman with one of their first round picks, and maybe an offensive lineman with the other or a WR. Word is out there that Cle may draft a RB in the first round. Gurley from Georgia or Gordon from Wisconsin. I still believe that the league rules favor two areas over all others: QB and pass-catchers, mainly WR. That's why if a team needs a QB or WR, then a team should select those positions in the first round. Last year, Cle could have drafted WR Watkins and QB Bridgewater without making any moves. Hopefully, Browns GM Farmer does not fancy himself as some kind of draft-day, maneuvering savant. It's only his second draft, and this point, he clearly botched last year's first round. He made up for it some by doing pretty well with other draft picks last year. Maybe the keep-it-simple approach in this year's first round works best. Stay at 12 and 19 and select the best players available. ## 2014 Draft My 2014 links: * [[2014 NFL Mock Drafts]] * [[2014 NFL Draft - First Round]] * [[2014 NFL Draft - First Round Results]] * [[Thoughts about the Browns' 2014 draft picks]] ## 2015 Browns Schedule The [Cleveland Browns 2015 Schedule](http://jothut.com/cgi-bin/junco.pl/blogpost/53126/22Apr2015/Cleveland-Browns-2015-Schedule) with my thoughts. * For the 2015 season, at least 11 of the 16 games occur against playoff-possible opponents, which includes double-counting the three divisional teams. The so-called easiest part of the schedule is the first quarter of the season. * The third quarter of the season is the most fascinating part of the schedule. All four games occur against divisional opponents. Two home and two away. Two against Cincy. And two games are primetime. Thursday night at Cincy. Monday night home to Baltimore. A bye week is embedded within this stretch. * The last time that Cleveland achieved at least a .500 record within the division was in 2007 when the Browns went 3-3. * Over the past five seasons, Cleveland's combined record during the final quarter of each season is 1-19. * The last time Cleveland finished at least 2-2 over the final quarter of the season was in 2009 when the Browns closed with a 4-0 record and finished the season with a 5-11 record. * In 2007, Cleveland went 3-1 in the final quarter and finished 10-6 overall. The only loss in the final four games occurred against Cincinnati, which was the only divisional game. * 2007 Browns: 3-1 over the final quarter, 3-3 within the division, and 10-6 overall. * For 2015, I predict a 6-10 or 7-9 record. br. **Preseason** * Thu, Aug 13 vs Redskins 8:00 p.m. * Thu, Aug 20 vs Bills 8:00 p.m. * Sat, Aug 29 at Buccaneers 7:00 p.m. * Thu, Sep 3 at Bears 8:00 p.m. br. **Regular Season** 1 - Sun, Sep 13 @ New York Jets 1:00 PM CBS 2 - Sun, Sep 20 vs Tennessee 1:00 PM CBS 3 - Sun, Sep 27 vs Oakland 1:00 PM CBS 4 - Sun, Oct 4 @ San Diego 4:05 PM CBS 5 - Sun, Oct 11 @ Baltimore 1:00 PM CBS 6 - Sun, Oct 18 vs Denver 1:00 PM CBS 7 - Sun, Oct 25 @ St. Louis 1:00 PM CBS 8 - Sun, Nov 1 vs Arizona 1:00 PM FOX > **9 - Thu, Nov 5 @ Cincinnati 8:25 PM NFL** 10 - Sun, Nov 15 @ Pittsburgh 1:00 PM CBS 11 BYE WEEK **12 - Mon, Nov 30 vs Baltimore 8:30 PM ESPN/WatchESPN** 13 - Sun, Dec 6 vs Cincinnati 1:00 PM CBS 14 - Sun, Dec 13 vs San Francisco 1:00 PM FOX 15 - Sun, Dec 20 @ Seattle 4:05 PM FOX 16 - Sun, Dec 27 @ Kansas City 1:00 PM CBS 17 - Sun, Jan 3 vs Pittsburgh 1:00 PM CBS