Well, guys. We made it through an entire, beautiful 18 weeks of regular-season football. While bittersweet, it has given us a deep dive into who most deserves the All-Pro nods. Take a look below who my picks are for each position.
All-Pro Offense:
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Running Back: Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Wide Receivers: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings, Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders, and A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
Tight End: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Right Tackle: Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles
Left Tackle: Andrew Thomas, New York Giants
Right Guard: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
Left Guard: Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs
Center: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles
All-Pro Defense:
Edge Rushers: Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers and Matthew Judon, New England Patriots
Linebacker: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Defensive Tackle: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
Cornerback: Sauce Gardner, New York Jets
Safety: Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers
All-Pro Special Teams:
Kicker: Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks
Punter: AJ Cole, Las Vegas Raiders
Returner: Keisean Nixon, Green Bay Packers
As far as the NFL Honors are concerned, I want to outline my choices below and give a little stream of consciousness for each of my picks. Check it out!
Coach of the Year: Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan is my pick (just barely over Doug Pederson) simply due to the consistent level of play despite big-time injuries at key positions. His schemes and play-calling puts his players in the best position at all times and the fact that Purdy was able to elevate their team so easily speaks to coaching and development.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Garrett Wilson
Rookie wideout Garrett Wilson had FOUR different (underperforming) quarterbacks to work with this season and he still dominated the field and put up ridiculous numbers. Though they just missed the playoffs, this young team is a solid quarterback away from being a real threat in the AFC for years to come.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner
Not only was he the best defensive rookie by a landslide, but by far the best Cornerback across the entire league. That is unprecedented to come fresh into this league and play with the poise and authority right out of the gates.
Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson
What JJ was able to accomplish this year is nothing short of amazing and was instrumental in the 13-win season that the Vikings were able to assemble.
Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Bosa
Bosa literally ranks first in the following categories: sacks, pressures, hits, penalties drawn, and pass-rush win rate. The dominance we witnessed from him this season is nothing short of amazing and historical.
Executive of the Year: Howie Roseman
The moves Roseman orchestrated all offseason last year and all throughout the season to continue bolstering his team on all sides of the ball is incredible. This speaks to both the organization and his recruiting efforts. I can’t remember the last time I saw a team make that many big-name acquisitions. Roseman is clear winner here!
Comeback Player of the Year: Geno Smith
Since I couldn’t break the tie between CMC and Saquon, I have to give this to Geno. He did not bounce back from an injury, but damn if he didn’t win a starting job and follow through to bring the Pete Carroll-led team to the playoffs! Everyone did write Geno off as a glorified backup for so long and his response was beautiful. He carried himself in a professional manner through it all. Well done, GS!
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
What Mahomes is able to do week in and week out in his first season without Tyreek Hill simply speaks to his value to this team. They win because of his talent and that’s that. Mahomes’ leading rusher was Isaiah Pacheco and other guys he elevated through the air were sloppy seconds like Juju Smith-Schuster, MVS, and rookie Kadarius Toney. This is not the sexiest of receiving corps, but he made everyone better around him as evidenced by not only their record, but being 4th in point differential.
