2015 NFL draft
| 2015 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Date(s) | April 30 – May 2[1] |
| Location | Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL |
| Network(s) | ESPN and NFL Network |
| Overview | |
| 256 total selections | |
| First selection | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Arizona Cardinals |
| Most selections | 11: Seattle Seahawks |
| Fewest selections | 6: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers |
The 2015 NFL draft is the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. On July 17, 2014, commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the draft would be moved from Radio City Music Hall in New York City (where it had been held since 2006) to either Chicago or Los Angeles.[2] On October 2, 2014, Auditorium Theatre in Chicago was announced as the official site.[3] The previous fifty NFL drafts (since 1965) had been held in New York.[4] The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the right to select first due to the fact they compiled the league's worst record in the previous season. The Arizona Cardinals currently has the right to make the final pick in the draft, dismissively called Mr. Irrelevant. Because this pick is a supplemental pick and cannot be traded, the Cardinals are assured of having the right to have the last draft pick.
One of the major storylines approaching the NFL Draft is the competition between the previous two Heisman Trophy winners, Jameis Winston winning the award in 2013 and Marcus Mariota in 2014. Both are considered excellent prospects and have the potential to become the first overall draft selection. Winston is considered to be a more polished pocket passer and pro-style quarterback, but has had several off the field issues while playing at Florida State, ranging from sexual assault allegations to shoplifting incidents. Mariota is considered a better athlete, the fastest quarterback in the draft, and has a better off-the-field reputation. However, Mariota ran a spread offense at Oregon which typically has not transitioned well from college to the NFL. Although both have issues, analysts predict a very large margin between the two in relation to the other quarterbacks of the draft.[5]
Early entrants
Seventy-four underclassmen announced their intention to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility and declare themselves available to be selected in the draft. An additional ten players who graduated chose to enter the draft, bringing to 84 the total number of players with college eligibility remaining eligible to be drafted.[6]
Selection order
The selection order for the first round is as follows. Two teams do not have first-round selections: Buffalo, which traded its first-round selection to Cleveland, and Seattle, which traded its first pick to New Orleans. Buffalo and Seattle's first selections in the 2015 draft are currently in the second round (Buffalo 50th overall and Seattle 63rd overall). The selection order for subsequent rounds will follow the order of the first round, except that teams with the same record and same playoff result will rotate among their respective groups (these groups are indicated by the bold gray lines in the table below). Also, 32 additional supplemental picks will be allocated between the ends of round 3 through 7, for a total of 256 picks. See the rules for determining draft order for more details.
| Selection Number |
Team |
2014 record |
Schedule strength |
Playoff result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2–14 | .486 | |
| 2 | Tennessee Titans | 2–14 | .506 | |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3–13 | .514 | |
| 4 | Oakland Raiders | 3–13 | .570 | |
| 5 | Washington Redskins | 4–12 | .496 | |
| 6 | New York Jets | 4–12 | .543 | |
| 7 | Chicago Bears | 5–11 | .529 | |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | 6–10 | .482 | |
| 9 | New York Giants | 6–10 | .512 | |
| 10 | St. Louis Rams | 6–10 | .531 | |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | 7–9 | .475 | |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns | 7–9 | .479 | |
| 13 | New Orleans Saints | 7–9 | .486 | |
| 14 | Miami Dolphins | 8–8 | .512 | |
| 15 | San Francisco 49ers | 8–8 | .527 | |
| 16 | Houston Texans | 9–7 | .447 | |
| 17 | San Diego Chargers[tie] | 9–7 | .512 | |
| 18 | Kansas City Chiefs[tie] | 9–7 | .512 | |
| 19 | Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo) | 9–7 | .516 | |
| 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | 10–6 | .490 | |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 10–5–1 | .498 | WC |
| 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 11–5 | .451 | WC |
| 23 | Detroit Lions | 11–5 | .471 | WC |
| 24 | Arizona Cardinals | 11–5 | .523 | WC |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers | 7–8–1 | .490 | Div |
| 26 | Baltimore Ravens | 10–6 | .475 | Div |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | 12–4 | .445 | Div |
| 28 | Denver Broncos | 12–4 | .521 | Div |
| 29 | Indianapolis Colts | 11–5 | .479 | Conf |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers | 12–4 | .482 | Conf |
| 31 | New Orleans Saints (from Seattle) | 12–4 | .525 | Lost SB |
| 32 | New England Patriots | 12–4 | .514 | Won SB |
Player selections
|
|
Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2015 draft.
- Round one
- ^ No. 19: Buffalo → Cleveland (PD). Buffalo traded this selection along with their fourth-round selection (115th) and their first-round selection in 2014 (9th) to Cleveland in exchange for Cleveland's first-round selection in 2014 (4th) which Buffalo used to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins.[source 1]
- ^ No. 31: Seattle → New Orleans (PD). Seattle traded their first-round selection (31st overall) and center Max Unger to New Orleans in exchange for New Orleans' fourth-round selection (112th) and tight end Jimmy Graham.[source 2]
- Round three
- ^ No. 78: Miami → New Orleans (PD). Miami traded this selection and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe to New Orleans in exchange for wide receiver Kenny Stills.[source 3]
- Round four
- ^ No. 101: Tampa Bay → New England (PD). Tampa Bay traded their fourth-round selection along with tight end Tim Wright to New England in exchange for guard Logan Mankins.[source 4]
- ^ No. 109: St. Louis → Tampa Bay (PD). St. Louis traded this selection as well as their sixth-round selection (183rd) to Tampa Bay in exchange for safety Mark Barron.
- ^ No. 112: New Orleans → Seattle (PD). see No. 31: Seattle → New Orleans.[source 2]
- ^ No. 113: multiple trades:
No. 113: San Francisco → Buffalo (PD). San Francisco traded their fourth-round selection to Buffalo in exchange for wide receiver Stevie Johnson.[source 5]
No. 113: Buffalo → Philadelphia (PD). Buffalo traded their seventh-round selection in the 2014 draft (224th) to Philadelphia in exchange for running back Bryce Brown and Philadelphia's 2014 seventh-round selection (237th). The trade also included a conditional future selection to be received by Philadelphia which will either be this pick, which Buffalo may receive from San Francisco (depending on whether Stevie Johnson hits certain undisclosed statistical thresholds in 2014) or Buffalo's third- or fourth-round selection in 2016 (depending on Brown achieving undisclosed performance levels in 2014).[source 6] - ^ No. 115: Buffalo → Cleveland (PD). see No. 19: Buffalo → Cleveland.[source 1]
- ^ No. 119: Philadelphia → St. Louis (PD). Philadelphia traded this selection, their second-round selection in 2016, and quarterback Nick Foles to St. Louis in exchange for St. Louis' fifth-round selection (145th) and quarterback Sam Bradford. The trade also includes a possible 2016 conditional selection going to Philadelphia based on Bradford's playing time in 2015. If Bradford takes less than 50 percent of the snaps, Philadelphia will receive St. Louis' fourth-round selection. If he does not play at all, Philadelphia will receive St. Louis' third-round selection.[source 7]
- ^ No. 122: Detroit → Baltimore (PD). Detroit traded this selection along with their fifth-round selection (158th) to Baltimore in exchange for a seventh-round selection (231st) and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.[source 8]
- ^ No. 126: Denver → San Francisco (PD). Denver traded this selection, along with their second- and fifth-round selections in 2014 (63rd & 171st) to San Francisco in exchange for San Francisco's second- and seventh-round selections in 2014 (56th & 242nd).[source 9]
- Round five
- ^ No. 137: multiple trades:
No. 137: Tampa Bay → Buffalo (PD). Tampa Bay traded this selection and a seventh-round selection in 2014 (221st) to Buffalo in exchange for Buffalo's fifth-round selection in 2014 (149th).[source 10]
No. 137: Buffalo → Minnesota (PD). Buffalo traded this selection and their seventh-round selection in 2016 to Minnesota in exchange for quarterback Matt Cassel and Minnesota's sixth-round selection (187th).[source 11] - ^ No. 142: New York Jets → Chicago (PD). The Jets traded this selection to Chicago in exchange for wide receiver Brandon Marshall and a seventh-round selection (224th).[source 12]
- ^ No. 143: Chicago → Denver (PD). Chicago traded this selection along with their fifth-round selection in 2014 (156th) to Denver in exchange for Denver's fourth- and seventh-round selections in 2014 (131st & 246th).[source 13]
- ^ No. 145: St. Louis → Philadelphia (PD). see No. 119: Philadelphia → St. Louis.[source 7]
- ^ No. 149: Minnesota → Miami (PD). Minnesota traded this selection to Miami in exchange for wide receiver Mike Wallace and a seventh–round selection (232nd).[source 14]
- ^ No. 154: Kansas City → New Orleans (PD). Kansas City traded this selection to New Orleans in exchange for guard Ben Grubbs.[source 15]
- ^ No. 158: Detroit → Baltimore (PD). see No. 122: Detroit → Baltimore.[source 8]
- ^ No. 162: Baltimore → Tampa Bay (PD). Baltimore traded this selection to Tampa Bay in exchange for offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah.[source 16]
- ^ No. 168: multiple trades:
No. 168: New England → Tampa Bay (PD). New England traded this selection to Tampa Bay in exchange for linebacker Jonathan Casillas and Tampa Bay's sixth-round selection.[source 17]
No. 168: Tampa Bay → Detroit (PD). Tampa Bay traded this selection to Detroit in exchange for defensive end George Johnson and Detroit's seventh-round selection (231st).[source 18]
- Round six
- ^ No. 177: Tampa Bay → New England (PD). see No. 168: New England → Tampa Bay.[source 17]
- ^ No. 180: New York Jets → Seattle (PD). The Jets traded this selection to Seattle in exchange for wide receiver Percy Harvin.[source 19][source 20]
- ^ No. 183: St. Louis → Tampa Bay (PD). see No. 109: St. Louis → Tampa Bay.
- ^ No. 187: Minnesota → Buffalo (PD). see No. 137: Buffalo → Minnesota.[source 11]
- ^ No. 201: Baltimore → Cleveland (PD). Baltimore traded this selection to Cleveland in exchange for Cleveland's seventh-round selection in 2014 (218th).[source 10]
- ^ No. 203: Dallas → Baltimore (PD). Dallas traded this selection to Baltimore in exchange for Baltimore's seventh-round selection and linebacker Rolando McClain.[source 21]
- ^ No. 206: Seattle → Indianapolis (PD). Seattle traded this selection to Indianapolis in exchange for cornerback Marcus Burley.[source 22]
- ^ No. 207: New England → Tennessee (PD). New England traded this selection to Tennessee in exchange for linebacker Akeem Ayers and Tennessee's seventh-round selection (219th).[source 23]
- Round seven
- ^ No. 219: Tennessee → New England (PD). see No. 207: New England → Tennessee.[source 23]
- ^ No. 224: Chicago → New York Jets (PD). see No. 224: New York Jets → Chicago.[source 12]
- ^ No. 231: multiple trades:
No. 231: Miami → Baltimore (PD). Miami traded this selection to Baltimore in exchange for offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie.[source 24]
No. 231: Baltimore → Detroit (PD). see No. 122: Detroit → Baltimore.[source 8]
No. 231: Detroit → Tampa Bay (PD). see No. 168: Tampa Bay → Detroit.[source 18] - ^ No. 232: multiple trades:
No. 232: San Francisco → Miami (PD). San Francisco traded this selection to Miami in exchange for offensive tackle Jonathan Martin.[source 25]
No. 232: Miami → Minnesota (PD). see No. 149: Minnesota → Miami.[source 14] - ^ No. 236: San Diego → Dallas (PD). San Diego traded this selection to Dallas in exchange for defensive tackle Sean Lissemore.[source 26]
- ^ No. 243: Baltimore → Dallas (PD). see No. 203: Dallas → Baltimore.[source 21]
- ^ No. 244: Dallas → Indianapolis (PD). Dallas traded this selection to Indianapolis in exchange for linebacker Caesar Rayford.[source 27]
- ^ No. 245: Denver → New York Giants (PD). Denver traded this selection to the New York Giants in exchange for kicker Brandon McManus.[source 28]
- ^ No. 246: Indianapolis → San Francisco (PD). Indianapolis traded this selection to San Francisco in exchange for linebacker Cam Johnson.[source 29]
- ^ No. 249: multiple trades:
No. 249: New England → St. Louis (PD). New England traded this selection to St. Louis in exchange for wide receiver Greg Salas.[source 30]
No. 249: St. Louis → Atlanta (PD). St. Louis traded this selection along with their first-round selection in 2013 (22nd) to Atlanta in exchange for Atlanta's first-, third- and sixth-round selections in 2013 (30th, 92nd and 198th).[source 31][source 32]
References
- General references
- ^ Schefter, Adam (October 2, 2014). "NFL sets dates for '15 draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- ^ Schefter, Adam (July 17, 2014). "L.A. or Chicago to host 2015 draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ Schefter, Adam (October 2, 2014). "Chicago will host 2015 NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
- ^ Myers, Gary (July 17, 2014). "2015 NFL draft will not be at Radio City Music Hall, headed to either Los Angeles or Chicago". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/draft/2015/02/21/analysis-jameis-winston-marcus-mariota-earn-high-marks-at-nfl-combine/23796085/
- ^ "74 Players Granted Special Eligibility for 2014 NFL Draft" (PDF). National Football League. January 19, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
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- Trade references
- ^ a b Farrar, Doug (May 8, 2014). "Sammy Watkins selected No. 4 by Buffalo Bills after trade with Cleveland Browns". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Patra, Kevin (May 10, 2015). "Saints, Seahawks agree to Jimmy Graham trade". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ^ Beasley, Adam (March 13, 2015). "Miami Dolphins trade for Kenny Stills — and might not be finished dealing". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (August 26, 2014). "Logan Mankins traded to Buccaneers from Patriots". NFL.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (May 9, 2014). "Stevie Johnson traded to San Francisco 49ers". Around the League (blog). NFL.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ McLane, Jeff (May 10, 2014). "Eagles trade Bryce Brown for conditional 2015 4th rounder". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Sheridan, Phil (May 10, 2015). "QBS BRADFORD, FOLES SWAP TEAMS". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c Rothstein, Michael (May 10, 2015). "Ravens trade NT Haloti Ngata". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ^ Renck, Troy E. (May 9, 2014). "Broncos take WR Cody Latimer, RT Michael Schofield on day 2 of draft". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "2014 NFL Draft trade tracker". NFL.com. May 12, 2014. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Smith, Michael David (March 4, 2015). "Bills acquire Matt Cassel in trade with Vikings". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Patra, Kevin (March 6, 2015). "Bears agree to trade Brandon Marshall to Jets". NFL.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ Wiederer, Dan (May 10, 2014). "Bears trade up, grab safety Vereen in Round 4". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Alper, Josh (March 13, 2015). "Mike Wallace traded to Vikings". NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ Thorman, Joel (March 12, 2015). "Chiefs trade for G Ben Grubbs, send 5th round pick to Saints, per report". SB Nation. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (March 23, 2014). "Buccaneers trade Jeremy Zuttah to Ravens for '15 pick". Around the League (blog). NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Buccaneers trade Jonathan Casillas to Patriots". NFL.com. October 28, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ a b Birkett, Dave (April 15, 2015). "Lions trade DE George Johnson to Buccaneers". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ "Jets land wideout Percy Harvin". ESPN.com. October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Cimini, Rich (February 4, 2015). "Jets face March 19 deadline on Percy Harvin decision". ESPN. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "Rolando McClain traded to Cowboys". ESPN.com. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Cowboys acquire Titans DE Lavar Edwards". NFL.com. August 30, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ a b Wyatt, Jim (October 21, 2014). "Titans trade LB Akeem Ayers to the Patriots". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Kelly, Omar (March 25, 2014). "Ravens receive 2015 seventh-round pick for Bryant McKinnie". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Jonathan Martin headed to 49ers". ESPN. March 11, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Moore, David (September 1, 2013). "Not a good fit: DL Sean Lissemore traded to San Diego for 7th round pick". Dallas Cowboys Blog. The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Sabin, Rainer (September 3, 2013). "Dallas Cowboys acquire DE Caesar Rayford in trade, raising questions about Anthony Spencer's availability". Daily Morning News. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ Klis, Mike (October 3, 2014). "Matt Prater released by Broncos; Brandon McManus wins kicking job". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ Fucillo, David (Jan 24, 2014). "49ers draft picks 2014: Cam Johnson acquired pick is 2015, not 2014". Niners Nation (blog). SB Nation. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Rodak, Mike (September 2, 2012). "Source: Patriots trade for WR Greg Salas". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "2013 NFL Draft trade tracker: Details of all the moves". NFL.com. April 27, 2013. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Wilkening, Mike (April 26, 2013). "2013 NFL Draft trades: Day One". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
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External Links