Here's a closer look at how some of the top rookies fared during 2017 season:
OFFENSE
Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson
Round: 1
Season statistics: 126-of-204 (61.8 percent), 1,699 yards, 19 TDs, eight INTs, in 6.5 games; 36 carries, 269 yards, two TDs
Final analysis: Watson had the Texans thinking playoffs before he tore his ACL in early November. After he took over for Tom Savage at halftime of the season opener, Watson improved throughout the season and was putting up historic stats for a rookie. Watson was on pace to finish with one of the best seasons by a rookie quarterback in NFL history and shatter the rookie passing touchdown record before his injury. The Texans quickly fell out of the playoff picture after Watson's injury, but hope they have found a franchise quarterback. -- Sarah Barshop
Chicago Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky
Round: 1
Season statistics: 196-of-330, 2,193 passing yards, seven TDs, seven INTs; 41 rushing attempts, 248 yards, two TDs
Final analysis: The second overall pick showed flashes. With a clean pocket, Trubisky is an accurate passer who can let it rip down the field. He also is effective when flushed outside of the pocket and forced to run. He definitely has the traits to be a good NFL starting quarterback. But Trubisky is inexperienced -- he made only 13 starts in college -- and was guilty of making some basic mistakes over the course of 12 starts in 2017. He sometimes ran into sacks or missed open receivers, but seemed to gain confidence as the season wore on. It'll take the right coach and system to maximize Trubisky's talent but the Bears made a wise -- if not reluctant -- decision to play Trubisky as a rookie. The only way Trubisky is going to improve is by playing. -- Jeff Dickerson
Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette
Round: 1
Season statistics: 1,040 yards, nine TDs; 36 catches, 302 yards, TD
Final analysis: Fournette became just the second rookie in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards (Fred Taylor, 1998). He did it even though he missed three games (two because of injury) and battled an ankle and quad injury for several weeks. Fournette surpassed 100 yards five times but only averaged 3.9 yards per carry, mainly because defenses stacked the box every week. Nearly a third of his carries came with eight or more defenders near the line of scrimmage. -- Michael DiRocco
Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey
Round: 1
Season statistics: 117 rushes, 435 yards, two TDs; 80 catches, 651 yards, five TDs
Final analysis: McCaffrey had a chance to make a big impact when Cam Newton led him perfectly on a swing pass with the Panthers within a touchdown in the second half of the regular-season finale. He dropped what would have been a sure first down and possibly more. With Jonathan Stewart out with a sore back, McCaffrey had a chance to make a big impact. He had 14 yards rushing on six carries and caught five passes on eight targets for 40 yards. This sums up his season in many ways. He would be spectacular at times, particularly in the passing game -- he led the team in receptions. But he never consistently had the big, dynamic plays many predicted in training camp. He wasn't unstoppable in the open field in one-on-one situations. For all that was asked of him he had a solid season, but the Panthers will need bigger things from him to advance in the playoffs. -- David Newton
Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Round: 2
Season statistics: 58 catches, 917 yards, seven TDs
Final analysis: Smith-Schuster has exploded onto the scene as one of the league's most productive offensive rookies. He owns the Steelers' rookie record for receiving yards, and in the season finale he became the first rookie in franchise history to record a kickoff touchdown (96 yards) and a receiving touchdown in a single game. He's the perfect complement to Antonio Brown and has No. 1 potential for the long term. -- Jeremy Fowler
New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara
Round: 3
Season statistics: 728 rushing yards, eight rushing TDs; 81 receptions, 826 receiving yards, five receiving TDs; 347 kickoff return yards, kickoff return TD.
Final analysis: Kamara put a huge exclamation point on his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign as voters will have to decide between two extremely rare seasons by him and Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. Kamara scored his first kickoff return touchdown on Sunday at Tampa Bay -- a franchise-record 106-yarder -- and finished with 283 all-purpose yards and two TDs. Kamara finished the season with a total of 1,554 yards from scrimmage, 1,901 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns. He joined Gale Sayers as only the second rookie in NFL history with at least five rushing TDs, five receiving TDs and a kickoff return TD. And he and teammate Mark Ingram became the first running back duo in NFL history to each surpass 1,500 yards from scrimmage. "He has my vote," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. -- Mike Triplett
Kansas City Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt
Round: 3
Season statistics: 272 carries, 1,327 yards, eight TDs; 53 receptions, 455 yards, three TDs
Final analysis: Hunt entered the final Sunday of the regular season with a chance to win the rushing title and played only long enough to get it. His first carry went for 35 yards and a touchdown. That play gave him 1,327 yards and the title. Even without the rushing title, Hunt's season would have been a stunning success. He didn't inherit the full-time featured back role until Spencer Ware was lost for the season because of a knee injury suffered in the preseason. Hunt slumped in the middle of the season but his diminished production was more a factor of lousy blocking and questionable playcalling than anything he was doing wrong. But his production went back up again late in the season and he was named to the AFC's Pro Bowl team. -- Adam Teicher
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp
Round: 3
Season statistics: 94 targets, 62 catches, 869 yards, five TDs
Final analysis: Kupp's precise route running, elite field awareness and reliable hands allowed him to immediately lock down a role as the Rams' slot receiver and eventually made him an important third-down security blanket for Jared Goff. Kupp was arguably the NFL's best, most productive rookie receiver despite sitting out the regular-season finale. He had a drop and a fumble that played a big part in a couple of losses, but he helped win a lot of other games, too. The Rams knew they had a polished receiver in Kupp, but he surprised them with his ability to gain yards after the catch. -- Alden Gonzalez
Kansas City Chiefs K Harrison Butker
Round: 7 (by Carolina)
Season statistics: 38 of 42 field goals, 28 of 28 extra points, 142 points
Final analysis: Butker, who was pulled off the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers heading into Week 4, was quite a find for the Chiefs when he replaced the injured Cairo Santos. Butker set the Chiefs' record by making 23 consecutive field goals. He also broke the team mark for most field goals in a season with 38. -- Adam Teicher
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Keelan Cole
Round: undrafted
Season statistics: 42 catches, 748 yards, three TDs
Final analysis: Cole was a pleasant surprise for the Jaguars, who signed him out of Kentucky Wesleyan. He was one of the stars of training camp and ended up being pushed into a bigger role than anticipated after Allen Robinson was hurt in the season opener. Cole finished with the third-most receiving yards among rookies and set the franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season by an undrafted rookie (teammate Allen Hurns had the record with 677 yards in 2014). -- Michael DiRocco
DEFENSE
New Orleans Saints CB Marshon Lattimore
Round: 1
Season statistics: Five interceptions (one returned for TD), 18 passes defensed, one forced fumble, 52 tackles
Final analysis: The 11th overall draft pick has been the player to beat for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for most of the season -- and he probably sealed it in Week 16 with his signature moment, the "butt pick" when he secured the ball against his thigh after it came to rest on his backside. More important, the Saints have trusted Lattimore to shadow top receivers from other teams for much of the season, which has been one of the biggest reasons for their overall turnaround. They went from the NFL's No. 32-ranked pass defense in 2016 to No. 11 in 2017. -- Mike Triplett
Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett
Round: 1 (first overall)
Season statistics: 31 tackles, 19 solo, with seven sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Final analysis: Garrett missed five games, but had a very strong rookie season that got better as the season wound down. A penalty wiped out an interception return for a touchdown in Chicago, but in the finale in Pittsburgh, Garrett had a sack, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. The only thing that kept Garrett from double-digit sacks and rookie-of-the-year numbers was injury, as he missed one game with a concussion and four with a sprained ankle. Garrett gave every indication he will be a strong player in the future, and worth the first overall pick. -- Pat McManamon
Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt
Round: 1
Season statistics: 54 tackles, seven sacks, one forced fumble, one INT
Final analysis: Watt made James Harrison expendable with a versatile rookie campaign. Not many NFL players can get seven sacks and eight passes defended. The Steelers trust Watt to rush the passer and win in pass coverage, where he has covered tight ends, receivers and running backs. He even added a field goal block. Watt is a building block for Pittsburgh's defensive future. -- Jeremy Fowler
Buffalo Bills CB Tre'Davious White
Round: 1
Season statistics: 16 games, 16 starts, 69 tackles, four interceptions, 18 passes defensed, one forced fumble
Final analysis: White is a top candidate for defensive rookie of the year after sliding into the spot occupied the previous five seasons by Stephon Gilmore. Coaches were impressed from the spring about how White handled the job, and aside from some hiccups in October against Cincinnati's A.J. Green, he was one of the top performers -- not just rookies -- at his position this season. He looks to be a long-term starter in the NFL if he stays healthy. -- Mike Rodak
Atlanta Falcons LB Takkarist McKinley
Round: 1
Season statistics: 20 combined tackles, six sacks, seven tackles for loss, 10 QB hits, two forced fumbles, fumble recovery
Final analysis: McKinley showed his quick burst throughout the season and seemed to get better as the year went on. He had to adjust early to play both sides of the line because of a hamstring injury suffered by Vic Beasley Jr. McKinley's effort was relentless and he improved his technique tremendously from the start of the season. And the shoulder McKinley had repaired before being drafted didn't seem to slow him down at all, although he popped up on the injury report a few times. McKinley should be a force for years to come. Plus with his blue dreads and hilarious posts on social media, the former UCLA star brings plenty of personality to the locker room. -- Vaughn McClure
Round: 1
Season statistics: 96 tackles, two sacks, three passes defended, one interception
Final analysis: It was an inconsistent season for Davis -- he has said as much multiple times over the past two months. But the Lions have to be happy with what they've seen in the better games he's had -- including in the season finale when he appeared to handle calls and every snap. He's a ferocious hitter who immediately looked comfortable playing the run. Davis struggled in pass coverage, leading to a diminished role at points in nickel packages, but overall, it was a good start for Detroit's first-round pick. -- Michael Rothstein
Round: 1
Season statistics: 83 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, no interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries.
Final analysis: It was a successful, if not stellar, season for Adams. He started every game, rarely coming off the field. He was terrific as a "box" safety, displaying excellent instincts and quickness near the line of scrimmage. The knock on him is that he had no interceptions. His coverage needs work, as he allowed at least six touchdown passes. In terms of intangibles, he showed leadership traits that helped galvanize the locker room. -- Richard Cimini
Cincinnati Bengals DE Carl Lawson
Round: 4
Season statistics: 8.5 sacks
Final analysis: The Bengals got a steal when they drafted Lawson, who fell because of injury concerns. The Bengals had intentions of moving him to linebacker, but when they let him do what he does best, line up and rush the passer as a defensive end, Lawson shined. It was clear he was going to be one of the best picks of the class early in the summer and he carried that over into the regular season. Lawson lined up mostly in the Bengals' nickel packages, so his potential is high if they can find a bigger role for him next season. -- Katherine Terrell