Where analysts think that Texas RB D’Onta Foreman will be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft

With NFL.com assigned a draft grade to former Texas Longhorns running back D’Onta Foreman between the second and third rounds, Thursday will likely be the big night for the Texas City product.

However, there are still several running backs ranked ahead of Foreman, including Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon.

So where do the experts believe that Foreman will go in the 2017 NFL Draft?

Sports Illustrated thinks that Foreman will come off the board in the second round with the 61st pick by the Green Bay Packers. The franchise lost another big back to free agency in Eddie Lacy and gave 77 carries last year to converted wide receiver Ty Montgomery. Suffice it to say, as Emily Kaplan pointed out, that the Packers have a need at the position.

In that scenario, Cook, Mixon, and Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara are the running backs who will come off the board before Foreman.

SB Nation isn’t as high on the Texas back — Foreman isn’t included in the second-round mock draft and ranks near the bottom of the best available players, including behind Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel, Toledo’s Kareem Hunt, and Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine.

Of course, best available player lists don’t include context like the needs of teams such as Green Bay.

Over at NFL.com, Lance Zierlein has Foreman coming off the board at No. 57 to the Houston Texans, a result that would likely please the Foreman family and Longhorns fans who also cheer for the Texans.

Despite the recent addition of the un-retired Marshawn Lynch, the Oakland Raiders are projected to select Foreman with the No. 56 pick, according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.

Like SB Nation, CBS Sports doesn’t include Foreman among the second-round picks. Neither does USA Today Sports.

If Foreman does slip past the second round, it seems likely that he will hear his name called on Thursday — his combination of size and speed when added to his production as a junior should ensure that.