Top 10 Storylines for the 2015 NFL Draft

The 2015 NFL draft is quickly approaching. As we count down the final hours until Roger Goodell takes to the podium to announce the first pick, there are a ton of rumors flying around the league right now.

From the Philip Rivers situation in San Diego to the ongoing drama surrounding Adrian Peterson in Minnesota, eyes promise to be on veterans that could potentially be on the move.

More than that, this draft represents somewhat of an oddity in comparison to recent years. The entire top 10 is pretty much up for grabs. Teams will look to move up and down in order to fill holes at certain positions. And without a defined pecking order at the top, we could see some major surprises when Thursday comes calling.

Here are our top-10 storylines for the upcoming 2015 NFL draft.

1. The Quarterback Equation

The rest of the NFL draft will depend heavily on what happens with the top two quarterbacks. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are apparently taking calls for the first pick, a deal seems highly unlikely at this point. It might not be a foregone conclusion that Tampa will spend that first pick on Jameis Winston, but we should probably assume that’s going to be the case.

If so, the focus then turns to the Tennessee Titans and their second pick. They have been linked to a potential deal with the San Diego Chargers for Philip Rivers. Trades of that magnitude rarely go down in the NFL, so, again, let’s just assume San Diego isn’t dealing its franchise quarterback.

This leaves Tennessee with a franchise-altering decision. Does it put faith in Zach Mettenberger to be the long-term solution, and select Leonard Williams at two? Does it decide a trade-down is the best option? Heck, Tennessee could very well pick Mariota, which would then leave every other position open for the Jacksonville Jaguars at three and Oakland Raiders at four.

If Tennessee decides to pass on Mariota without trading down, the focus then turns to where the reigning Heisman winner might land. It’s conceivable he could fall to the bottom half of the top 10, if not lower. Then again, another team could trade up with the Raiders to acquire Mariota, which would set into motion what promises to be a flurry of trades on Day 1. Yeah, this is rather interesting.

2. Draft-Day Trades

Speaking of draft day trades, I made a prediction last week that there would be a minimum of five trades on the first day. If Mariota were to fall to the Raiders at four, that would likely be the first deal of the draft. This is also a scenario that includes Tennessee keeping the second pick and avoiding Mariota.

Outside of quarterbacks, teams are going to be positioning themselves to find value and talent at two other positions: EDGE pass rushers and wide receivers. With the injury to Shane Ray and Randy Gregory’s positive marijuana test, Clemson’s Vic Beasley will be a hot commodity in the top 10. If a team like the Falcons deem him the only EDGE rusher worthy of a top-10 pick, we could also be looking at a trade-up for the talented pass rusher. The Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns could also be in play here. Of course, that’s all dependent on the Jaguars taking Dante Fowler Jr. at No. 2, which seems to be a foregone conclusion at this point.

The San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins are said to be interested in a trade up to the top 10 in order to acquire one of the top three receivers in the draft. For Miami, the reported target is West Virginia’s Kevin White. And for San Francisco, it’s all about Alabama’s Amari Cooper. Based on recent rumors, the Raiders may be in play for one of those two teams at four.

Then you have the bottom of the first round. As we have seen over the past two years, there has been a lot of movement within the final five picks of the first day. In fact, half the teams that have picked in the bottom five over the past two years were not originally slated to pick there. Last year saw the Minnesota Vikings move up to 32 with the Seattle Seahawks in order to acquire Teddy Bridgewater. If both Winston and Mariota go in the top five, it could set into motion a quarterback-needy team picking at the top of the second to move up to the bottom of the first. The interesting dynamic here is that selecting a quarterback at the end of the first enables a team to utilize a fifth-year player option, something that’s not available at the top of the second.

3. Uncertainty at the Top

We focused on quarterbacks earlier, but let’s take a gander at the top defensive player in the draft, USC’s Leonard Williams. He could very well be the biggest wild card here. If Tennessee selects Williams at two, it would make Mariota available to teams selecting in the bottom half of the top 10. It would also likely create an abundance of trades during the rest of the first round. If the Titans pass up on Williams, or trade the pick to a team looking to pick up Mariota, it likely puts the Raiders in an enviable position at four, at which point general manager Reggie McKenzie has to decide to take Williams at four or venture into trade-down possibilities. Of course, that’s working under the assumption that Oakland won’t exhaust a top-five pick on a wide receiver.

The reality of the situation is this. If you were to be given 100-1 odds that you could get the top-five picks correct, it’s probably a bet you shouldn’t make. More so than in any other draft in recent years, there is so much uncertainty at the top heading into Thursday night.

4. How Will Teams Respond to Character Issues?

Character issues will take a front seat during the first day of the draft. From minor infractions such as Randy Gregory’s positive marijuana test to more serious issues surrounding Dorial Green-Beckham, it’s going to be interesting to see how teams respond. It’s also important to take a gander at a couple of the top corners in the draft class, Washington’s Marcus Peters and LSU’s Jalen Collins. These are four top-tier talents who could see themselves fall a ton come draft day.

Personally, the most intriguing situation is going to be Green-Beckham, who is likely the most-skilled receiver in the entire draft class. The former Missouri and Oklahoma standout had two marijuana-related issues and was investigated for domestic violence during his college days. Considering the NFL’s new Domestic Violence Policy it’s going to be interesting to see who takes a chance on Green, and where. He could go as high as No. 15 overall to the San Francisco 49ers or fall to the middle of the second day. We honestly have no idea at this point.

Notice how there’s no mention of Jameis Winston here? Despite his checkered track record, there’s little doubt that the former Florida State standout will go within the first couple picks, likely No. 1 overall.

5. Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles

What in the heck is going on in Kelly’s world? With Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow under contract for next season, some seem to think that Bradford is being used as trade bait in a potential trade-up scenario for Marcus Mariota. That rumor started the minute Kelly was hired from Oregon, where he coached the reigning Heisman winner for two seasons. It’s also a rumor that could have very well been created by the media.

But with Kelly, we have absolutely no idea what’s going on here. Philadelphia has not engaged in extension talks with Bradford, which is interesting considering his lofty 2015 cap number of $13 million next year.

If Philadelphia is to make a move up for Mariota, it would likely cost a fortune in collateral. The 20th pick, a future first-round pick, Bradford and a likely top-end player would have to be moved for the Oregon product. That’s a mighty high price to pay for a quarterback that isn’t necessarily seen as a can’t-miss prospect.

6. Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers

The rumors just won’t die down. By now we know that Rivers will not commit to signing an extension before the conclusion of the upcoming season. He’s also hesitant about the potential that the Chargers may move a bit north to Los Angeles. As a family man, he likely doesn’t want to raise his kids in a big city like that. Then you have the entire Marcus Mariota factor to look at. San Diego is seemingly enthralled by the quarterback prospect, and just recently had him in for a visit.

Enter into the equation the Tennessee Titans, who are said to be interested in bringing Rivers to Nashville. What seems like a bad fit on the surface, might actually be a solid fit. First off, the Nashville area is extremely family-friendly. Secondly, the Titans are in desperate need of that franchise guy. After all, they haven’t had one since the late-great Steve McNair left town.

What would a potential trade look like? Of course, it would start with Rivers heading to Tennessee, and the second overall pick going to San Diego. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. Would San Diego have to give up more than Rivers for a valuable second pick? That’s the big question here. If the Titans are out the equation, could the Philadelphia Eagles or another quarterback-needy team (the Cleveland Browns) make a play for him?

Most of this is pure conjecture. It remains highly unlikely that the Chargers would move Rivers. And if they did, it would rock Chicago this week.

7. Cleveland’s Opportunity

The Browns possess two picks in the top 20 on Thursday evening. It’s the second consecutive year that general manager Ray Farmer and company have had two first-round picks. Let’s hope for the Browns sake, it turns out better than next year.

Anything from yet another “franchise quarterback” to wide receiver, offensive line and outside linebacker appear to be on the table here. Heck, there’s even been rumors that the Browns might very well look to go running back.

There’s also a possibility Cleveland decides to package the two picks and move up for one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. That would represent the third time in four years that this squad has exhausted a first-round pick on a quarterback. Speaking of quarterbacks, Cleveland has also found itself linked to Eagles signal caller Sam Bradford, a deal that would likely require the team’s second first-round pick. Either way you spin it, this is one of the most important drafts in recent Browns history.

8. The Third Quarterback

Brett Hundley or Bryce Petty? If that’s the question, it’s rather obvious that this is a weak quarterback class outside of the top two. This doesn’t mean that some quarterback-needy team won’t go out there and reach for one of these guys. In our predictions piece from last week, we looked at the New Orleans Saints at 31 as a possibility for Hundley. And while that would be a great fit for the UCLA product, one would think that the Saints might want to address more immediate needs at other positions.[mks_pullquote align=”right” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#000000″ txt_color=”#1e73be”] We looked at the New Orleans Saints at 31 as a possibility for Hundley.[/mks_pullquote]

If Hundley were to fall to the second day, then the Tennessee Titans would likely be in a great position to find a quarterback-needy team to move down with, at which point the New York Jets, Washington Redskins or Chicago Bears might make sense.

Despite this being a top-heavy class at quarterback, we already know that’s the most important position on the football field. This likely means that both Hundley and Petty will hear their names called in Round 2.

9. The Running Backs

It’s highly likely that Georgia’s Todd Gurley and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon will be selected on Thursday. After that, everything seems to be up in the air. Depending on who you ask, about five running backs could be third off the board. Miami’s Duke Johnson, Boise State’s Jay Ajayi, Indiana’s Tevin Coleman and Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah seem to be getting the most play. All four of these running backs could potentially hear their names called in the second round. The Raiders, Jaguars and Jets are possibilities to take running backs atop that round.

10. Veterans on the Block

We’ve heard about Adrian Peterson. We covered Philip Rivers and Sam Bradford above. However, there are some other veterans out there who will likely be moved during the draft.

The Eagles have apparently put Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis on the block. While any move of that ilk wouldn’t take place until late on Day 2, it’s something to keep an eye on. Among other veterans potentially on the move, Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley could find himself calling a new city home at some point during the draft. However, any move involving him would take place late on Day 3.

There’s also Miami Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan, who has not panned out since the team made him a top-five pick back in 2013. Whether it’s scheme fit or something behind closed doors, Jordan appears to be on the block. And despite a 2015 salary in excess of $5 million, there will be teams prepared to express interest in him.

There are a few veterans dealt during the draft every single season. Even if big names like Rivers and Peterson aren’t moved this week, there will be trades involving veterans throughout the three-day draft. You can take that to the bank.

Photo: USA Today Sports