With Super Bowl LI set to take place next Sunday and the Senior Bowl scheduled to kick off this Saturday, we figured now would be a terrific time to look ahead to the 2017 NFL draft.Only the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons still have a chance to win the Lombardi Trophy this year. The other 30 teams are already in offseason mode, and we're beginning to get a good idea of what their needs could look like by draft day.A week's worth of Senior Bowl practices also give us some insight into the rising or falling stock of a few players likely to be taken at the top of the draft.With all of this in mind, we're going to take an updated look at our Round 1 projections. In addition, we'll examine some of the latest draft-related buzz heading into Super Bowl Week. NFL Mock DraftLatest BuzzO.J. Howard On the RiseFormer Alabama tight end O.J. Howard was already looking like a first-round pick heading into Senior Bowl Week. He racked up an impressive 45 receptions for 595 yards and three touchdowns in 2016. Pro Football Focusrated him first overall among all collegiate tight ends for the season.Fortunately, it seems that Howard only increased his stock on the practice field.Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports described Howard as the "player who turned the most heads" during Senior Bowl practicesand he had some rather lofty praise for the incoming rookie:The consensus from multiple personnel men came down to this: Howard looks like an inline tight end who blocks with enthusiasm but also can catch and run with the best of them. Despite being long overshadowed in Alabama's offense, the hope is that his growth in the passing game could give him a Rob Gronkowski-like ceiling.If Howard performs well in Saturday's game, his stock is going to be incredibly high heading into the NFL Scouting Combine.I had Howard going to the Green Bay Packers in my last mock draft because of his potential fit in the team's offense. However, he may not be around at the bottom of Round 1 as long as his stock stays this high.By the time the actual draft rolls around, it might be difficult to see Howard falling to a playoff participant.Cooper Kupp Also Turning HeadsWhile I'm not yet ready to rocket Eastern Washington wideout Cooper Kupp into the first round, it is worth noting just how dominant the pass-catcher has been in Mobile, Alabama.It's not like Kupp was a complete unknown coming into Senior Bowl Week. He racked up an incredible 428 catches for 6,464 yards and 73 touchdowns in four collegiate seasons, and he certainly looks the part of an NFL wideout at 6'2", 215 pounds.However, Kupp has impressed in almost every aspect one could imagine during practices and drills. While working against some of the top defensive backs in the country, he's been grabbing the attention of guys like NFL Media Analyst Gil Brandt and Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:"I like this kid," NFL Media's Mike Mayock recently said. "He can play at any level; don't let the small school fool you. What I saw on tape is what I saw Tuesday. He's fast. He won deep, he won shallow, he beat press coverage. He can win at all three levels. And he gets it. I think he's going to play and play well very early in his NFL career."It will be worth watching to see how Kupp performs in the game itself. A big outing there and a strong comine could have the small-school product creeping into Round 1 by draft weekend.White, Lamp InjuredUnfortunately, it hasn't been all happy news in Mobile. Two potential first-roundersLSU cornerback Tre'Davious White and Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lampsuffered injuries this week.Lamp suffered an ankle sprain and may be forced to sit the game out, according to agent Erik Burkhardt (h/t Mike Garafolo of NFL.com)."He would like to play in the game Saturday," Burkhardt said as part of a statement. "But we'll continue to monitor it with the training staff and see how it looks before the game."White also suffered an ankle injury."It's all right, it's not that bad," Whitesaid of his ankle Wednesday, per Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com.Since this is an exhibition game and players often raise their stock the most in Senior Bowl practices, it wouldn't be surprising if both Lamp and White sit out Saturday's game. The important thing is that neither injury appears to be serious enough to cause concern heading into the combine.
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