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.

Pick	Team	Player
1	Cleveland Browns	Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
2	San Francisco 49ers	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jabrill Peppers, SS/LB, Michigan
4	Chicago Bears	Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
5	New York Jets	Jamal Adams, SS, LSU
6	Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams)	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
7	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
8	Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles)	DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
9	San Diego Chargers	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
10	Arizona Cardinals	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
11	Cincinnati Bengals	Reuben Foster, MLB, Alabama
12	New Orleans Saints	Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
13	Buffalo Bills	Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
14	Indianapolis Colts	Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
15	Philadelphia Eagles (from Minnesota Vikings)	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
16	Tennessee Titans	John Ross, WR, Washington
17	Baltimore Ravens	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
18	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn
19	Green Bay Packers	Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
20	Denver Broncos	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
21	Houston Texans	Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
22	Washington	Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
23	Miami Dolphins	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
24	Detroit Lions	D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
25	Atlanta Falcons	Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
26	Pittsburgh Steelers	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
27	Seattle Seahawks	JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
28	New York Giants	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
29	Kansas City Chiefs	Desmond King, CB, Iowa
30	Oakland Raiders	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
31	New England Patriots	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
32	Dallas Cowboys	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri

Rookie of the Year Contenders

Carolina Panthers: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

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 combination of size, speed and power. He has some flaws in his game, but his ability to create for himself through power and speed will override those flaws."

Incumbent Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart will be 30 years old next season and is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018, per Spotrac.

That will leave the door open for the powerful Fournette, who racked up 1,953 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground on 300 carries in 2015. He battled through injuries this year and finished with 843 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, but it was clear how high his ceiling can be with his 2015 performance.

If he reaches that ceiling in Carolina, the Panthers will again be a dangerous force in the NFC in the immediate future.

Tennessee Titans: John Ross, WR, Washington

Rishard Matthews is a solid playmaker, but he doesn't scream No. 1 receiver at the NFL level even though that is the role he serves for a Tennessee Titans team that has remained in the playoff race all season.

The Titans could use a playmaking wide receiver on the outside to support a strong running game that features DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry and quarterback Marcus Mariota. The presence of a speedster on the outside would also force opposing safeties to shift more attention toward sideline routes, which could open up more seams up the middle for tight end Delanie Walker.

Enter Washington's John Ross.

Ross tallied 1,122 receiving yards this season and had a nose for the end zone with 17 touchdown catches, a rushing touchdown and a kick return touchdown.

Chad Reuter of NFL.com said "Ross' extreme speed and agility with the ball in his hands" reminds him of DeSean Jackson, which is high praise considering Jackson has been a 1,000-yard receiver four times in his career. He is also a three-time Pro Bowler and has made a living off beating cornerbacks on deep routes with his speed.

Someone like Ross would open up Tennessee's playbook, especially since he would likely see plenty of single coverage when defenses are forced to put additional people in the box to slow the rushing attack.

Oakland Raiders: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The only thing really missing from the Oakland Raiders' explosive offense in terms of skill positions is a game-changing tight end. Alabama's O.J. Howard would fit the bill if they landed him in the first round of the draft.

Howard doesn't turn many heads with his numbers, but he is a first-round prospect because of his potential. He posted 445 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season after finishing last season with 602 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

However, he is listed at 6'6" and 251 pounds on Alabama's official roster and showed flashes of his ability during Alabama's 45-40 victory over Clemson in last season's national title game. Howard won the Offensive Player of the Game award behind five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. 

Rang compared Howard to three-time Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham and pointed to Howard's athleticism and ability to break free from defenders with impressive speed for a tight end.

In Oakland, opposing defenses have to key on Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, which means Howard would rarely face double coverage. He would also benefit from playing with one of the best young quarterbacks in the league in Derek Carr.

Howard didn't put up incredible numbers at the college level, but he would thrive in Oakland's offense as soon as next season.