Chris Allen remembers the 2015 NFL Draft Class, the hits and misses that defined the class.

There are two types of players in the league: rookies and veterans.

The first group creates excitement. The idea of change is infectious. But the other type is just everyone else. How long you’ve laced up your cleats only matters if you have accolades to go with your experience. Win a Super Bowl or help fantasy gamers take home a title; it’s all the same to us. But let’s spotlight a class instead of lumping them all together.

In 2015, we watched the Broncos’ defense drag Peyton Manning to end his career in storybook fashion, Cam Newton earn an MVP title throwing to Devin Funchess, and Julio Jones amass 1,871 receiving yards. The veterans were the stars of the show. However, the rookies gave us some memorable performances, too.

The Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston

I don’t think we’ve seen a player like Jameis Winston since he entered the league.

Sure, we’ve seen gunslingers like Winston before. He came out of Florida State ripping the ball downfield at a 10.4-yard aDOT (fourth-highest that season) and became the third rookie since 2000 to crest 4,000 yards. But even then, the red flags were there. He came out of his first year with 15 INTs, and his double-digit streak continued for the rest of his time in Tampa. 

Remember his 30-30 year? The kicker is it could've been even worse.

However, Winston’s skills on the mic are what have endeared him to fans over the years. He flipped his iconic ‘eat a W’ pre-game speech into him eating a W-shaped beignet before the Super Bowl. Winston quoted Eminem in a postgame interview. But, of course, his most recent prayer to keep him on the field more was an instant rewatchable.

Winston’s volatile style always showed us both edges of the sword that is being a QB in the NFL. But we grew to expect it. Even when he brought Cedric Tillman into the limelight and resurrected Jerry Jeudy’s career (for a time), we knew there was an expiration date. But we also know his aggression is what gives every offense he’s piloted a chance, so here’s hoping we see more of the former first-overall pick in 2025.

Grade: The quintessential fantasy QB

Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota’s last +300-yard passing game was in 2019.

He has just one game over 250 yards since 2020.

When you benchmark the career of the second-overall pick from the ’15 draft in those terms, you’ll feel disappointment washing over you in an instant. But this is the same QB who gave us a play that exists in nearly every “NFL Top Plays” video montage you can find.

Part of Mariota’s downfall was his situation. He was throwing to Kendall Wright and Harry Douglas as a rookie on a team with the sixth-lowest neutral passing rate on early downs. Fast forward a few years, and Mariota finds himself watching Derrick Henry turn into NFL royalty. Couple an ulnar nerve injury with just one playoff appearance, Mariota has had to relocate multiple times. But when he’s resurfaced, he can see what could’ve been.

Yes, playcallers like Arthur Smith and Kliff Kingsbury have had to work their magic to keep Mariota upright. In Atlanta, Smith had Mariota using play-action concepts on 44.4% of his dropbacks (league high). Kingsbury toned things down a bit in Washington (18.1%), but Mariota kept things moving when Jayden Daniels was out. Honestly, with the flashes we’ve seen in recent years, you almost wonder what a team like the Giants or Saints would look like if they gave the Commanders a call about their backup.

Grade: Wish we could’ve seen more

The Running Backs

The Top Tier—Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Melvin Gordon

The first two need no introduction.

David Johnson burst onto the fantasy scene in his sophomore season after sharing the backfield with Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington in 2015. The 221-pound RB earned 68 targets during his freshman campaign and notched 1.97 YPRR (fourth best among all RBs—min. 25 targets). Bruce Arians took notice and gave Johnson all the touches he could handle. Johnson and Gurley were the only RBs with touch shares above an absurd 70.0%. Johnson and Le’Veon Bell headlined Team Jam ‘Em In for DFS slates throughout most of the regular season. But injuries derailed a repeat performance. However, if you want to win a bar bet, ask someone to name who caught Kyler Murray’s first TD pass. Honestly, the answer surprised me, too.

Meanwhile, Todd Gurley was a hero for the same franchise in two different states. Yep, Gurley ran in his first TD in St. Louis (if you watch closely, you’ll catch a glimpse of the guy in the next section sitting on the sideline) and then became the star of the Coliseum for the next four years. 

Like Johnson, the Georgia standout redefined the position. At 224 pounds, you shouldn’t be able to hurdle over another grown man. And yet, Gurley did it and still made it into the paint.

At Gurley’s size, RBs don’t normally challenge their teammates for targets. However, in 2017 Gurley (87 targets) and Cooper Kupp (94) were the top options for Jared Goff. Sure, the Rams’ RB benefitted from a top blocking unit. However, his ability to capitalize on the gaps while also being an efficient receiver are traits we don’t see too often anymore. It’s part of why his classmate’s career longevity is something of a surprise.

I wanted to start the Melvin Gordon discussion here because it’d be too easy to harp on the negatives. He fumbled away Denver’s chances of upsetting the Chiefs in ’21 while Javonte Williams sat on the sidelines. Baltimore had to deal with the same thing. So, instead, reflecting on a wild time for Denver was my best bet. 

Anyway, like the other top RBs from his class, Gordon took on one of the coveted three-down roles for the (then) San Diego Chargers. Only 12 other RBs saw a workload similar to Gordon’s in his first year. That list dwindled to six the following season. Austin Ekeler’s emergence (and the fumbles) chipped at Gordon’s workload until he left for Denver. However, his 2017 run should hold a special place in the hearts of many fantasy managers. 

Duke Johnson

If I don’t reserve a specific section for the Miami Hurricanes' all-time rushing leader, what are we even doing here?

There’s a senior analyst here at Fantasy Life, who will remain nameless, and who has been quick to point out Duke Johnson’s three-down ability for years. Johnson was just ahead of his time.

The Miami product split the Browns’ backfield with Isaiah Crowell and matched the bigger, more traditional primary rusher in every rushing metric from adjusted yards after contact per attempt to success rate. Plus, Johnson earned a 12.3% target share. Like Bucky Irving in 2024, Johnson’s power and elusiveness relative to his teammate jumped off the screen. Unfortunately, we never got a full season of Johnson as the guy, but we’ll always be wondering what could’ve been.

The Wide Receivers

The Day 1s—Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker

In my defense, Kevin White looked like a “can’t-miss” prospect to me. Granted, I wasn’t writing about football at the time, nor had any data to support my claim. But I had watched A.J. Green torch corners for about four years beforehand. And White ran a 4.35 40-yard dash! Ah. Well, nevertheless. At least the other WR who went in the Top 10 turned out all right.

Admittedly, I wanted to post highlights of his time in Oakland. But his season was a WR13 finish. It was a toe injury here or an ankle sprain there that kept him out of the WR1 ranks despite hoarding looks from Derek Carr on an annual basis. It didn’t all click until his first full season with Dak Prescott (15.4 PPR PPG, WR10). Hopefully, his latest disappearing act in Buffalo isn’t how we remember the route technician. But I know how I’ll remember DeVante Parker.

The Dolphins’ receiver put up 12 100-yard games throughout his nine-year career. Three of them came against the Patriots. Even better, all three came in different seasons. Apparently, Bill Belichick’s ethos of “taking away a team’s best receiver” didn’t apply to Parker. But if you needed Parker to produce any other week, you’d be better off looking at the options on your bench. 

Nelson Agholor

Nelson Agholor gets a subsection to himself simply because this man caught a stray in the most random fashion.

Surprisingly, Agholor had only three drops in 2019. His drop rate spiked to 15.8% the year after the viral video dropped. Regardless, the Eagles’ wideout was miscast as a perimeter receiver but found success after a move to the slot. While being the primary option on any squad wasn’t in the cards for him, his rediscovered purpose as an ancillary target for Lamar Jackson has kept him in the league longer than most anticipated. 

Stefon Diggs

I remember where I was and who I was talking to when Stefon Diggs conducted a miracle. 

Legend has it that Diggs’ helmet is still rolling around U.S. Bank Stadium after he tossed it.

The Maryland standout’s skillset as a route runner was apparent during his rookie season. Diggs led the team in targets and posted a top-12 YAC per reception mark. Afterward, it was the Diggs-Thielen show as the duo kept the Vikings’ passing game thriving independent of the QB. Some (likely out of Minnesota) thought the star receiver would be a detriment to the Bills’ but Josh Allen made do.

Diggs never dipped below 1,200 yards in Buffalo. The Bills’ 2023 campaign was the only season their WR1 didn’t have double-digit touchdowns. Even before his ACL tear playing for the Texans, it was clear Diggs was transitioning into a primary interior role to close out his career (52.8% slot rate—the highest percentage since 2016). However, he’d be an ideal complement to Nico Collins and could play the same role Thielen did for him to start his career.

The Tight Ends

A Kettle Without a Home

Today, I learned the term for a group of vultures (in flight) is “kettle.” It can be a “committee” or a “wake” if they’re hanging out or feeding, but the label kettle stuck out. You might be wondering how a bird of prey and the 2015 TE class connect. Most can guess, though. Look at the names.

Not a single one of them eclipsed 500 yards in a single season. Nobody was silently hoping any of the 2015 TE class would fall to them in drafts. You weren’t saving your top waiver priority to get someone from the list off the wire. But let me lay out a Sunday scenario that might hit a bit too close to home.  

It’s 2017, and you’re watching the Bengals drive. A.J. Green is in your starting lineup. Andy Dalton drops back, sees his target, lets it fly, and Cincinnati scores! Wait, that’s not No. 18 with the ball. Who the heck is number 81? Great. Thanks, Tyler Kroft.

Sound familiar?

Although, if I could dive into my Cincy fandom for a second, I’ll always have love for one of the guys on the list.

C.J. Uzomah’s contributions through the Bengals’ playoff run are part of why they wound up in Los Angeles to face the Rams in the 2022 Super Bowl. He scored the first TD against the Raiders in the Wild Card Round to keep the pressure on Derek Carr. Only Tee Higgins generated more first downs against the Titans the following week. He deserved a night like their rally. I can only imagine what Mike Gesicki will do if the Bengals find themselves in a similar position next season.