2015 NFL Mock Draft 4.0 – 1st Round
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17.) San Diego Chargers – RB Todd Gurley, Georgia
After the loss of Ryan Matthews the Bolts have only a group of complementary backs (Oliver, Woodhead, Brown) but need an RB who can carry the ball 20+ times per game. Gurley has the best combination of size (6’1 | 222) and speed (4.52) to come out of college since Adrian Peterson & Marshawn Lynch in 2007. The question with Gurley is whether he can stay healthy, but if so the Chargers could have one of the best RBs in the league.
18.) Kansas City Chiefs – OT Andrus Peat, Stanford
Eric Fisher, the former #1 overall pick in 2013, is not a good left tackle (-17.5 grade). The Chiefs need to realize that and move Fisher to right tackle to try and salvage some value from the pick. Peat is a prototype left tackle prospect with the size, arm length, run blocking power, and good enough feet in pass pro to excel at the position.
19.) Cleveland Browns – WR Breshad Perriman, UCF
With the loss of Josh Gordon for another year and the lack of potential #1 WRs on the roster, the Browns take a chance on the extraordinary athletic ability of Perriman. The son of former NFL WR Brett Perriman, he has all the tools to be a top receiver in the league, but wasn’t dominant in college and it may take a year or two for his skills to translate into production in the NFL.
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20.) Philadelphia Eagles – WR Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
Chip Kelly likes big, physical wide receivers in his high-octane, quick pass offense. DGB has the size and strength to be a quick pass receiver like Demaryius Thomas, but also the deep speed to take the top off defenses. His ceiling is as high as anyone’s in the draft, but he’s raw technique wise and has some serious off-field red flags which is why he’s still available this late.
21.) Cincinnati Bengals – DT Malcolm Brown, Texas
The Bengals need to revamp their D-line and they started with re-acquiring DE Michael Johnson, but their interior needs some help. Brown is strong and athletic enough to play either the 3 or 1 tech positions and could make DT a strength again for the Bengals.
22.) Pittsburgh Steelers – S Landon Collins, Alabama
Troy Polamalu has retired and the Steelers need to find a replacement in the draft since they don’t have one on the roster. Collins falling this far would be a gift to the Steelers as he could step in to the strong safety role on day 1 and hold his own. He’s a solid run stopper with underrated pass coverage ability.
23.) Detroit Lions – DT Eddie Goldman, Florida St
The Lions lost both starting DTs, Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, and rotational DT C.J. Mosley is still a free agent. They pulled off a great trade acquiring monstrous DT Haloti Ngata and signing promising DT Tyrunn Walker from the Saints, but they still are very thin at the position. Goldman is a top 15 talent and a good value this late in the first round.
24.) Arizona Cardinals – DE/DT Arik Armstead, Oregon
The Cards have more pressing needs at RB and edge rusher but both positions are fairly deep in this year’s draft and I don’t think they can pass on Armstead who projects as the next Calais Campbell. The Cards lost 2/3 rds of their starting D-line in the offseason and need to rebuild what was once a strength. They can get a more powerful RB to complement Andre Ellington later in the draft, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they took edge rusher Eli Harold here.
25.) Carolina Panthers – OT D.J. Humphries, Florida
The Panthers got by with the worst tackle combination in the league last year and need an upgrade at one of the tackle positions at least. Humphries has the footwork to play left tackle and the aggressiveness to play on the right side. Ideally he will get stronger and gain some weight, but has so much talent that he’d be an upgrade over either of last year’s starting tackles. Humphries may start at RT as a rookie but should eventually move over to the left side where he has elite potential.
26.) Baltimore Ravens – CB Marcus Peters, Washington
GM Ozzie Newsome seems to always pick the best player available regardless of need, but in this case the best player left on the board happens to fill the Ravens biggest need. Peters has some off-field red flags but he’s more talented than any corner currently on the Ravens roster besides maybe Jimmy Smith.