The 2022 NFL Pro Bowl roster is officially here, and with it comes the annual breakdown of the biggest snubs and unworthy selections. While the Pro Bowl is mostly a popularity contest, these results are still worth analyzing, as players have contract incentives tied to Pro Bowl selections. The following five players should have made the roster but were unfortunate victims of a poor voting process.
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Top Five Pro Bowl Snubs From the Roster
Creed Humphrey: Kansas City Chiefs (over Ryan Kelly)
It is hard for an offensive lineman to get the respect they deserve in Pro Bowl voting, especially as a rookie. It makes sense why someone like Ryan Kelly would earn the honors – he’s certainly one of the better players at the position. However, second-round rookie Creed Humphrey has set the world on fire and has already turned into a top-five center in this league. He has helped transform the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line into one of the NFL’s strongest units and deserves recognition for his fantastic season.
Austin Ekeler: Los Angeles Chargers (over NIck Chubb)
After battling through injury last year, former undrafted free agent Austin Ekeler has finally proven that he has what it takes to be an elite three-down back with a high workload. During his first year under head coach Brandon Staley, the running back has recorded a combined 1,347 yards from scrimmage while remaining one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league.
Additionally, he completely destroyed the narrative that he’s too small to handle goal-line work, as he has recorded a combined 17 touchdowns this season. Nick Chubb is a great player, but his one-dimensional style combined with missing a few games to injury makes Ekeler the more worthy player.
THAT IS WHY YOU GIVE THE BALL TO AUSTIN EKELER pic.twitter.com/AwVe1Ov7nK
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) December 17, 2021
Cordarrelle Patterson: Atlanta Falcons (over Alvin Kamara)
On a per-dollar basis, one could make the argument that Cordarrelle Patterson has been the best free-agent signing of the season. After spending the first eight years of his career primarily on special teams, the former first-round pick has thrived as a true offensive weapon, making plays at both running back and wide receiver. Kamara, while great in his own right, is in something of a down year and has not played nearly as well as Patterson.
A.J. Terrell: Atlanta Falcons (over Trevon Diggs)
The Atlanta Falcons have one of the worst defenses in football, but cornerback A.J. Terrell has been absolutely fantastic despite the overall results of the unit. The 2020 first-round pick is playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the league, as just every metric out there has him as one of the top coverage players in the league. Diggs has a ton of interceptions, but he’s also given up tons of yards thanks to his boom-or-bust style of play. Personally, I prefer the guy that never allows completions.
Only CB with a 90+ coverage grade this season
A.J. Terrell 🔒 pic.twitter.com/11egEsOCrM
— PFF (@PFF) December 23, 2021
Joe Burrow: Cincinnati Bengals (over Lamar Jackson)
After a promising rookie season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has turned into one of the better young passers in the game. During his first season back from a torn ACL, the second-year pro has completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,640 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. While the interception total might sound high, it’s worth noting that a lot of those plays were not his fault, and rather the product of bad luck. Lamar Jackson had a great start to the season, but struggled over the past month or so before missing last week’s game to injury.
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