The NFL draft is coming up and mock drafts have started to come out weekly and names like Jameis Winston, Amari Cooper, Marcus Mariota, Kevin White, Dorial Green-Beckham, DeVante Parker, Jaelen Strong, Devin Smith, Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley and Ameer Abdullah are some of the notable names to watch over the coming weeks as pro days heat up.
Winston is expected to go number one, but this year there could be some major trades up top with Marcus Mariota also available. There are some strong wide receivers in this class and the running back group is also deep. Abdullah and Gordon could be two of the top RBs, while Duke Johnson and Gurley also should get some major attention.
The Buccaneers have the top pick in the draft and all signs point to the team taking Winston with the number one pick overall, even with the shoulder issues that popped up at the combine. Winston is considered by most scouts to be the better prospect over Mariota, as he played in a more NFL-style offense.
According to ESPN.com, Winston impressed teams in meetings during the combine and one scout said his football IQ was higher than most quarterbacks his age. Mariota and Winston both performed well at the combine and both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper at ESPN predict they will be the first QBs off the board.
The Titans have the number two pick and while many have suggested that Tennessee could take a quarterback, Pro Football Talk writes that the team could look at a defensive player second overall. The team has Zach Mettenberger and if the Titans feel that he can develop into a solid quarterback they may stick with him over adding Mariota if he is available at number two. The Jaguars and Raiders are next and they are not expected to take quarterbacks after drafting Blake Bortles and Derek Carr last year.
Green-Beckham comes in after putting up 87 catches for 1278 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career and that came at Missouri, and later he transferred to Oklahoma and did not ever play before declaring for the draft. Green-Beckham had to sit out the season and his waiver request was denied by the NCAA. Green-Beckham has marijuana charges in his past and he also had an alleged incident when he "pushed an 18-year-old woman" down some stairs. Green-Beckham was not charged after the victim did not cooperate. With the Ray Rice situation, it's likely teams avoid Green-Beckham.
Apart from Green-Beckham, Cooper is looked at as the best prospect ahead of White and Parker. Jaelen Strong and Devin Smith are also looked at as strong players and this could be another great class after the one from last year. According to 49ers.com, White is moving up draft boards and he could be a high pick after the way he performed at the NFL combine. White went for 4.35 seconds in the 40 yard dash, which is impressive and he also showed off strong ball control for his size at 6-foot-3, 215-pounds. White could also be one of the steals of the NFL draft.
The Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and the NY Jets have been mentioned as teams that could be interested in making a trade to move up to take a quarterback, but that likely depends on if the Buccaneers take Winston at number one. The Browns have the most draft picks of any team for 2015 and they also have two first round picks, which could be enough ammo to move up to the top five if they want Mariota. The Eagles pick at 20th, but some reports have Chip Kelly so enamored with his former Oregon quarterback that he could try and move up to get him.
