2017 NFL Mock Draft: Latest Predictions for 1st-Round Prospects After Week 16

With Week 16 largely in the rearview mirror, NFL teams are officially a step closer to the Super Bowl of the offseason—the 2017 draft.

While fans of franchises such as the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks look to the postseason for their source of hope every year, supporters of moribund teams like the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars turn to the draft for their dreams of a brighter future.

With that in mind, here is a look at a mock first round for the 2017 draft, as well as some Offensive Rookie of the Year contenders from the included group.

The order of selections was borrowed from Rob Rang of CBSSports.com in a mock written following Week 15 of the NFL season.

Rookie of the Year Contenders

Carolina Panthers: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

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Ezekiel Elliott has been one of the best players in the entire NFL this season for the Dallas Cowboys after they drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick out of Ohio State. The rookie’s performance will undoubtedly come up when teams and analysts are justifying first-round interest in running backs in the 2017 draft, and that will be the case for the Carolina Panthers.

Look for the Panthers to draft LSU’s Leonard Fournette early in the first round with the hope they land the next Elliott.

ESPN.com’s Todd McShay predicted Fournette would go to Carolina and didn’t hold back in his high praise for the LSU playmaker: “Fournette hasn’t budged from the No. 1 spot in my prospect rankings all season. He is a rare talent for the position, the best college running back I’ve evaluated since Adrian Peterson in 2007.”

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein echoed similar sentiments in his quotes, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com: “We haven’t seen many guys in the league who have his …

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