Now that we are about halfway through the regular season, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the Pro Bowl. For this series, we will look at the three most deserving candidates for each team. Obviously, some teams will have more or less than three players selected to the Pro Bowl, but for simplicity purposes, we will discuss the top three. Here are your top midseason Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl candidates.
Top Midseason Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl Candidates
Eric Weddle
Let’s start with the most obvious pick. Eric Weddle has been the best safety in the NFL this season. He is rated the number one safety by Pro Football Focus with a 92.4 overall grade, and has completely stabilized a defense that struggled last season. In fact, he is the third highest ranked player in all of football regardless of position! Weddle is second on the team in tackles, and has forced two turnovers; one interception, and one forced fumble. But the numbers do not do his impact nearly enough justice.
Weddle has been spectacular in coverage on the back end (90.4) and even better against the run (91.8). His biggest impact however, has come in ways that cannot be measured. His Ravens teammates have not stopped raving about his leadership and his intangibles since he showed up. A huge issue for the Ravens defense last season was abysmal communication and leadership in the secondary. Weddle and his and running mate, cornerback-turned-safety and Lardarius Webb, have shored up this main issue and have led the Ravens to a top five ranking in pass defense thus far. The NFL had better save a spot on the All-Pro team for this Baltimore safety.
Marshal Yanda
Surprisingly, this has actually been somewhat of a down year for the superstar former Iowa Hawkeye Marshall Yanda. He has battled some injuries and even had to play a little right tackle due to other injuries around him. Yet, he is still the second-ranked guard in the league with an 86.8 grade, including a dazzling 90.7 in pass-protection. The Ravens offensive line has been beaten and battered all year, but each of the ideal starting five members have played well this season, led by this mauler.
In his tenth year, Yanda has not skipped a beat and has played like a guy shooting for a berth in Canton when all is said and done. This season thus far has just been another step in that direction. At a position that is mostly about name value to the casual fan, Yanda has both that as well as stellar play going for him. Look for him to pick up Pro Bowl berth number six this year.
Kyle Juszczyk
This is probably the toughest call of them all. There were three players in consideration here; Timmy Jernigan, C.J. Mosley, and “Juice”. Jernigan has been unbelievable this season, but plays at a loaded position. Mosley has been sensational as well but has missed two games due to injury. Kyle Juszczyk, meanwhile, has just been the best fullback in football.
That is something that plays heavily in his favor. The fullback position has begun to die out in football in recent years. There are only 19 fullbacks even on the NFL.com ballet and some them hardly classify as fullbacks (Spencer Ware? Really?) or hardly play at all. Juszczyk has less competition than anyone else on the Ravens for a Pro Bowl spot.
It would be unfair to say Juszczyk is only going to get voted in due to position scarcity though. The Harvard graduate is crazy talented and plays ferociously. He is second among fullbacks in yards from scrimmage (136 yards) and has done it almost entirely through the air (only two yards rushing on one carry). “Juice” is a key cog in the passing game and seemingly has one or two big third-down conversions every week. Having said all that, his receiving skills, as great as they are, still grade out worse than both his elite run and pass-blocking grades. Juszczyk is rated the best fullback in football (84.8 overall grade) and is certainly deserving of his first Pro Bowl nod.
Moving Forward
The Baltimore Ravens came out of the gates scorching hot and won their first three games. However, since then they are losers of four straight. While the 3-4 record may not be very appealing and impressive, the talent on this roster says otherwise as there are certainly more than a few players who are deserving of consideration for a trip to Honolulu.
Mosley, Jernigan, kicker Justin Tucker, punter Sam Koch, and cornerback Jimmy Smith are all guys who have legitimate chances to make it to Hawaii this year, but none of them have the resumes of Weddle, Yanda, or Juszczyk. Yet. Stay tuned to the second half of the season and see which Ravens step up as Baltimore tries to end their playoff drought at one season.
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