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David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The weight of first-year expectations in the NFL can be crippling for high draft picks.

There's a group of coaches and executives whose employment statuses are tied to your success. There are rows upon rows of screaming fans who assume you'll fill a roster void. And there are far older veteran teammates needing you to rise quickly so the misery of last season is avoided.

But the mid-to-late round pick often dodges such intense scrutiny.

They can go about their business and then explode to become one of the league's leading rushers, just as Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard did in 2016. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill made an even more significant impact for a playoff team with his 12 touchdowns and 1,836 all-purpose yards after being a fifth-round pick.

We expect the top picks to be almost immediate difference-makers. But nearly every year a mid-round pick like Hill or Howard does the same.

Who might those surprising rookies be in 2017?