James Conner Declares for 2017 NFL Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

Following another dominant season, Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner announced Saturday he will enter the 2017 NFL draft.

He made it official with the following tweet:

"

Forever Grateful. pic.twitter.com/B8wXA9ABZz

— James Conner (@JamesConner_) December 10, 2016"

With a bowl game left to play against the Northwestern Wildcats, Conner has rushed for 1,060 yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 299 receiving yards and four additional scores in 2016.

He also helped lead the Panthers to upset wins over both No. 2 Clemson and No. 5 Penn State this season.

Conner missed all but one game in 2015 because of an MCL injury and was also diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. However, earlier this year, he said he was declared cancer-free, per ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson.

Despite the adversity, Conner came back with a vengeance in 2016, and Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi said the following about his toughness and his decision to go pro, according to Pitt Football:

Conner rushed for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014, and while he didn't return to that elite level in 2016, he figures to regain even more burst as he gets further removed from knee surgery.

The 21-year-old Erie, Pennsylvania, native is the ACC career leader in touchdowns and figures to be among the most highly touted running backs in his draft class.

He will have plenty of competition, though, as LSU's Leonard Fournette, Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, Texas' D'Onta Foreman and Clemson's Wayne Gallman have all declared as well, per NFL.com.

Conner comes with some concerns due to his knee injury and cancer diagnosis, but it is difficult to argue against the determination and character he brings to the table.

The health issues will likely be enough to push him out of the elite tier, but a team could get a stud running back with a Day 2 or Day 3 selection should it take Conner.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.