Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook are gone.

Which running backs will step up in their place in 2017? Fournette and McCaffrey were top 10 picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. Will a running back or two follow in their footsteps this year?

MORE: Top 25 QBs for 2017

The good news is the top five — which features three SEC running backs — should produce some discussion in that direction. Two Big Ten running backs round out that top five. Here is a closer look at Sporting News Top 25 running backs for 2017:

1. Saquon Barkley, Penn State

Barkley offers the total package. He rushed for 1,496 yards and 18 TDs in helping the Nittany Lions win the Big Ten championship. He's a physical freak who is in line to be that next top-five pick in the NFL Draft.

2. Derrius Guice, LSU

Fournette might be gone, but there's almost as much excitement with Guice, who almost re-defines "hard runner." Guice had 758 rushing yards and eight TDs in LSU's last four games last season. Expect more where that came from.

3. Bo Scarbrough, Alabama

Scarbrough is high on this list, but the College Football Playoff showed the talent level we're dealing with. Scarbrough should fit as the lead back under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, but it's a matter of what kind of committee forms with Damien Harris, Najee Harris and B.J. Emmons.

4. Justin Jackson, Northwestern

Jackson has improved with each season, and his 224-yard takeover of the Pinstriple Bowl against Pitt is a reminder of that talent. Jackson produced 1,524 yards and 15 TDs last season. Now, he looks to lead the Wilcats to the next step in the Big Ten West.

5. Kamryn Pettway, Auburn

Pettway's decision to stay in school adds another level of excitement for Auburn, which seems poised to compete for the SEC West championship. Pettway produced 1,224 yards and seven TDs, and figures to build on that with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback.

6. Myles Gaskin, Washington

Gaskin's career is marked with steady production for the defending Pac-12 champions. The lines that last two seasons are almost identical, and that's accumulated 2,675 yards and 24 TDs at 5.8 yards per carry.

7. Nick Chubb, Georgia

Chubb is a top-10 back on this list for the third conseuctive season, and his decision to stay in school has the Bulldogs hoping for a SEC East championship. He's averaged 6.4 yards per carry through that career. Should he be the fourth SEC back on this list?

8. Ronald Jones II, USC

Jones II has produced 2,069 yards and 20 TDs on just 330 career carries the last two seasons. It's scary to project what he could do with a full workload. It's all good new for Heisman hopeful Sam Darnold and the Trojans.

9. Rodney Smith, Minnesota

First-year coach P.J. Fleck has two talented backs to start with, and Smith should get the majority of the carries again. Smith produced 1,158 yards and 16 TDs for the Gophers in 2016.

10. Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt

Webb ranked fourth in the SEC with 1,283 yards and 13 TDs in 2016 and closed the season with three straight 100-yard games. That's a go-to guy the Commodores can count on between the tackles.

11. Mark Walton, Miami, Fla

Walton broke out with 1,117 yards and 14 TDs in Year 1 with Mark Richt, a season that included strong production at the start and finish. If Walton can produce more through the meat of the schedule, then the Hurricanes will be in business in the ACC Coastal Division.

12. Mike Weber, Ohio State

Weber put up 1,096 yards and nine TDs as a starter, and he'll continue to be productive next to quarterback J.T. Barrett. Demario McCall might steal a few more carries, but we anticipate a bump in production for the redshirt sophomore. Weber certainly has that confidence.

13. Jalin Moore, Appalachian State

Moore put 1,402 yards and 10 TDs while splitting carries with Marcus Cox last season, and we're expecting the totals to increase while Moore feasts on Sun Belt competition again. He's the highest-ranked Group of 5 back on this list.

14. Ito Smith, Southern Mississippi

Smith is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and totaled 27 TDs in that stretch, and he'll be the lead back in an offense that averaged 32.8 points per game in 2016.

15. Jacques Patrick, Florida State

Patrick gets the first crack at replacing Dalvin Cook. Patrick averaged 5.4 yards per carry in spot duty last season and will have the opportunity to perform like an All-ACC back. Of course, a five-star freshman is in line to challenge for carries. More on that shortly.

16. Royce Freeman, Oregon

Injuries have side-tracked Freeman's career, but he's still a reliable force that first-year coach Willie Taggart will feed in 2017. Freeman needs nine rushing TDs to tie the school record set by 2010 Heisman Trophy finalist LaMichael James.

17. Bryce Love, Stanford

Love inherits the spot left by Christian McCaffrey, but he's more than capable of the job. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry behind McCaffrey the last two seasons and is an active pass-catcher out of the backfield. He closed last season with back-to-back 100-yard games agianst Rice and in the Sun Bowl against North Carolina.

18. Cam Akers, Florida State

We're guilty of not being able to contain our excitement after watching the five-star early enrollee in the spring game. Akers will figure into the mix right away, and it's a matter of whether Patrick holds him off early in the season. That's why we hedged our bets and put both backs on this list.

19. Justin Crawford, West Virginia

Most of Crawford's 1,184 yards came from the 331-yard effort against Oklahoma and 209-yard effort against Baylor, but he also had six games with 40 yards rushing or less. More consistency would vault Crawford up this list in a hurry.

20. D'Angelo Brewer, Tulsa

Tulsa's system lends itself to this kind of production, and Brewer was one of two 1,000-yard backs for the Golden Hurricane last season. He'll be the lead back among a talented group in 2017.

21. Ray Lawry, Old Dominion

Lawry averages 6.3 yards per carry for his career and continues to be a reliable runner for the Monarchs. He's looking for a third consecutive 1,000-yard season.

22. Justice Hill, Oklahoma State

Hill closed out last season with 100 yards or more in three of Oklahoma State's last four games, and that amounted to 1,142 yards for the season. Hill needs to improve on last year's total of six TDs, but he's an early favorite for all-Big 12 honors.

23. Akrum Wadley, Iowa

Wadley stood out in the upset win against Michigan last season. He'll tack on more yards and TDs to last year's totals, and he'll be relied on more as a pass-catcher, too. He'll be the focal point of the Hawkeyes' offense.

24. Phillip Lindsay, Colorado

Lindsay is a compact 5-foot-8, 190-pound runner who improved with each game for the Buffaloes last season, and he'll build on that 1,252-yard, 16-TD performance in 2017.

25. Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan

Franklin averages 5.1 yards per carry for his career, and that's come with 41 career rushing TDs. He could move into second all time in Mid-American Conference history this season if he catches former Toledo star Chester Taylor (55).

Special mention

Damien Harris, Alabama; James Gilbert, Ball State; Jordan Scarlett, Florida; Sony Michel, Georgia; Benny Snell, Kentucky; James Butler, Iowa; Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma; LJ Scott, Michigan State; Damarea Crockett, Missouri; Ryan Nall, Oregon State; Bradrick Shaw, Wisconsin; Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M; Kyle Hicks, TCU; Jordan Chunn, Troy.

Honorable mention

Najee Harris, Alabama; Andy Davidson, Army; Terence Williams, Baylor; Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic; Diocemy St. Juste, Hawaii; Jarred Craft, Louisiana Tech; Ty Johnson, Maryland ; Chris Evans, Michigan; Tyrone Evans, New Mexico; Rashaad Penny, San Diego State; Braeden West, SMU; Ryquell Armstead, Temple; John Kelly, Tennessee.