NFL Draft Results 2015: Complete List of Selections and Grades for Rounds 1-3
Ben Kercheval@@BenKercheval
College Football Lead WriterMay 2, 2015
And just like that, we're on the final day of the 2015 NFL draft. Before we dive head first into Rounds 4 through 7, let's take a quick look back at what's transpired so far.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans picked up what they will be hoping are future franchise quarterbacks in Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota respectively. Talented but troubled players such as Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham and Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory had to wait a little longer to hear their names called.
How has the NFL draft played out through the first three rounds? A full list of the picks can be viewed below:
Below is each team's pick through the first three rounds, their respective draft grades and a quick recap:
| Complete List of 2015 NFL Draft Picks and Grades (Round 1-3) | |||
| Team | Complete Picks | Grade | Quick Analysis |
| Arizona Cardinals | OT D.J. Humphries (24), DE Markus Golden (58), RB David Johnson (86) | B+ | Humphries may have been a first-round stretch, but he has great upside. And it's hard not to like the Markus Golden pick. Tremendous edge-rusher and leader. |
| Atlanta Falcons | DE Vic Beasley (8), CB Jalen Collins (42), RB Tevin Coleman (73) | C | New Falcons coach Dan Quinn has his first major draft pick in Beasley. The Falcons got Coleman, an explosive back, at a tremendous value. |
| Baltimore Ravens | WR Breshad Perriman (26), TE Maxx Williams (55), DT Carl Davis (90) | B+ | The Ravens upgraded their receiving corps with Perriman and Williams. Williams is the best pass-catching tight end in the draft, but can Perriman overcome his drops? |
| Buffalo Bills | DB Ronald Darby (50), OG John Miller (81) | C | Darby is excellent in run support but has had trouble in pass protection. |
| Carolina Panthers | S/LB Shaq Thompson (25), WR Devin Funchess (41) | D | The Thompson pick made as little sense as any in the first two days in the draft and the Panthers are already pretty set at wide receiver. |
| Chicago Bears | WR Kevin White (7), DT Eddie Goldman (39), OL Hroniss Grasu (71) | A | The Bears are giving quarterback Jay Cutler as many weapons as possible while improving the run defense with Goldman. |
| Cincinnati Bengals | OT Cedric Ogbuehi (21), OT Jake Fisher (53), TE Tyler Kroft (85), LB Paul Dawson (99) | B- | Cincinnati is tightening down its offensive line. As far as inside linebackers go, Dawson is up there with the best, and the Bengals got him at a steal. |
| Cleveland Browns | DT Danny Shelton (12), OL Cameron Ervin (19), LB Nate Orchard (51), RB Duke Johnson (77), DT Xavier Cooper (96) | A- | You have to like what the Browns are doing along the defensive front. There was some chatter that they would draft a quarterback, but they're taking care of important needs first. |
| Dallas Cowboys | CB Byron Jones (27), DE/OLB Randy Gregory (60), OT Chaz Green (91) | B+ | The Jones pick was excellent and very "non-Cowboys." The Gregory pick? He's a risk because of character concerns, but it's hard not to like a top-10 talent falling to you at No. 60. |
| Denver Broncos | DE Shane Ray (23), OT Ty Sambrailo (59), TE Jeff Heuerman (92) | B | Moving up to get Ray in the first round shows the Broncos have no concerns about his recent marijuana bust. |
| Detroit Lions | OG Laken Tomlinson (28), RB Ameer Abdullah (54), CB Alex Carter (80) | A | Detroit got Tomlinson and Manny Ramirez to fortify the offensive line. Abdullah isn't the biggest back in the world, but he's a big play waiting to happen. |
| Green Bay Packers | DB Damarious Randall (30), DB Quinton Rollins (62), WR Ty Montgomery (94) | B+ | The Packers continue to beef up the secondary. Montgomery is an excellent return man, but can he add value to the receiving corps? |
| Houston Texans | CB Kevin Johnson (16), LB Benardrick Mckinney (43), WR Jaelen Strong (70) | A | How Strong fell to the third round is anyone's guess, but the Texans just got a big, capable receiver with outstanding hands. |
| Indianapolis Colts | WR Philip Dorsett (29), CB D'joun Smith (65), DE Henry Anderson (93) | C+ | Dorsett is another great weapon for quarterback Andrew Luck. Still, who's protecting the face of the franchise from getting sacked? |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | LB Dante Fowler Jr. (3), RB T.J. Yeldon (36), OG A.J. Cann (67) | A- | The Jaguars felt Fowler was the best defensive player available. The Yeldon pick is sneaky good, as he has a nice blend of power and finesse. |
| Kansas City Chiefs | CB Marcus Peters (18), OL Mitch Morse (49), WR Chris Conley (76), CB Steven Nelson (98) | B | Peters is perhaps the best defensive player in the draft, but his off-field issues require a leap of faith. Conley is one of the more underrated receivers in the draft. |
| Miami Dolphins | WR DeVante Parker (14), DT Jordan Phillips (52) | B- | Parker instantly boosts the wide receiver group for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Phillips has potential, but hasn't always lived up to it. |
| Minnesota Vikings | CB Trae Waynes (11), LB Eric Kendricks (45), DE Danielle Hunter (88) | A | When you're in the AFC North with Detroit and Green Bay, you're going to want to load up on defense. |
| New England Patriots | DT Malcom Brown (32), DB Jordan Richards (64), DE Geneo Grissom (97) | B- | Brown was the steal of the first round, as he could have been taken much higher. |
| New Orleans Saints | OT Andrus Peat (13), LB Stephone Anthony (31), LB Hau'oli Kikaha (44), QB Garrett Grayson (75), CB P.J. Williams (78) | B+ | The Saints have a lot of picks already. Are they grooming Grayson to be Drew Brees' successor? |
| New York Giants | OT Ereck Flowers (9), S Landon Collins (33), DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (74) | A- | The Flowers pick was perhaps a bit of a reach, considering how much of a development project he is, but the upside is there. You have to like Landon Collins, a first-round talent, with the first pick in the second round. |
| New York Jets | DE Leonard Williams (6) WR Devin Smith (37), LB Lorenzo Mauldin (82) | A | The Jets made their already terrifying defensive line better and gave quarterback Geno Smith a real receiving weapon. |
| Oakland Raiders | WR Amari Cooper (4), DE Mario Edwards Jr. (35), TE Clive Walford (68) | B+ | Cooper was one of the best wide receivers in the draft, while Walford may be the most well-rounded tight end of the class. Lots of weapons for quarterback Derek Carr here. |
| Philadelphia Eagles | WR Nelson Agholor (20), DB Eric Rowe (47), LB Jordan HIcks (84) | C | Agholor should fit head coach Chip Kelly's system and contribute on special teams. Hicks has had an oft-injured career. |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | LB Bud Dupree (22), CB Senquez Golson (56), WR Sammie Coates (87) | B+ | The Steelers continue to finally recognize they need defensive help, especially in the secondary. Coates is another deep threat that's perfect for the offense's vertical passing game. |
| San Diego Chargers | RB Melvin Gordon (15), LB Denzel Perryman (48), CB Craig Mager (83) | B+ | Gordon is a productive, every-down back. Perryman will be the heart and soul of the Chargers defense in no time. |
| San Francisco 49ers | DE Arik Armstead (17), DB Jaquiski Tartt (46), LB Eli Harold (79) | C | The Armstead pick was curious. He's a raw, freakish talent, but his game needs a ton of work. |
| Seattle Seahawks | DE Frank Clark (63), WR Tyler Lockett (69) | B- | Clark has major off-the-field issues and probably wasn't worth even a third-round pick, but Lockett is outstanding. He'll thrive in Seattle. |
| St. Louis Rams | RB Todd Gurley (10), OT Robert Havenstein (57), OT Jamon Brown (72), QB Sean Mannion (89) | C | Gurley is the best running back by far, but is coming off of an injury. Getting Havenstein, a big run-blocking tackle from Wisconsin, helps there too. |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | QB Jameis Winston (1), OT Donovan Smith (34), OT Ali Marpet (61) | A | The Bucs are all in on Winston despite the sexual assault allegation. And they're building his protection up front too. |
| Tennessee Titans | QB Marcus Mariota (2), WR Dorial Green-Beckham (40), OT Jeremiah Poutasi (66) | A- | The Titans have their guy in Mariota and a high-risk, high-reward receiver in Green-Beckham. That combo could be spectacular. |
| Washington Redskins | OT Brandon Scherff (5), DE/OLB Preston Smith (38), RB Matt Jones (95) | C- | Scherff was likely the best lineman available, but picking him at No. 5 seems like a reach. |
| NFL.com | |||
Grades Analysis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A
The Bucs did their homework on Winston and felt the off-field concerns—namely the three-year-old sexual assault allegation—weren't enough to not draft him. Winston is as pro ready as they come. He's big, has a great arm and can make all the throws, even under duress.
By adding offensive linemen Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet, the fastest lineman at the combine, Tampa Bay is ensuring Winston's jersey will be as clean as possible too.
Cleveland Browns: A-
The Browns didn't decide to make the splash draft choice like they did a year ago with quarterback Johnny Manziel. Instead, the front office opted to beef up the defense with monster defensive tackle Danny Shelton out of Washington and Xavier Cooper out of Washington State. Nate Orchard from Utah will fill another edge-rusher role.
On offense, Florida State center Cam Erving can potentially play multiple positions. Not to go completely bland, the Browns picked up running back Duke Johnson from Miami, who's a home run threat every time he touches the ball.
"A shifty, agile back with good hands and great balance, Johnson has the same skill set as LeSean McCoy, but don’t expect that type of production," B/R's draft guru Matt Miller wrote of Johnson. "That’s a best-case scenario."
Jacksonville Jaguars: A-
The Jaguars have been crushing it with the picks over the first two days. Dante Fowler had been rising up the mock draft boards and was the first defensive player taken on Thursday with the No. 3 overall pick. Jacksonville needed to upgrade its pass rush, and Fowler should deliver there.
While the Jaguars didn't pick receiver Amari Cooper, it did grab running back T.J. Yeldon out of Alabama in the second round. This year's running back class was deep with second- and third-round talent. Yeldon is a do-it-all player. He has power, finesse and great hands out of the backfield. He's a perfect weapon for quarterback Blake Bortles.