The Pro Bowl is Sunday, and given that there is just one more NFL game this season after this weekend, fans are sure to tune in.
Dissecting the Pro Bowl rosters is difficult. They are sort of a moving target, to the extent that players were being added and subtracted Monday and Tuesday. Instead, we're going to dissect the 2014 All-Pro Team in terms of each honoree's draft history.
Of the 27 players on the team -- 12 on offense, 12 on defense and three specialists -- 14 were taken in the first round, with one going first overall (defensive end Mario Williams). There were four second-rounders, three third-rounders, one fourth-rounder, one fifth-rounder, one sixth-rounder and one seventh-rounder. Two players began their careers as undrafted free agents.
Some notes:
» Four of the five offensive linemen and all four defensive linemen were first-rounders; of those nine, five went in the top 10 and four in the top three. This is the 36th season in a row that at least two offensive linemen who were taken in the first round have been named All-Pro, and the second season in a row that all four defensive linemen were first-rounders.
» There are four linebackers on the All-Pro team, and one was a first-rounder.
» One wide receiver was a first-round pick (this is the ninth season in a row that there was at least one first-rounder at wide receiver); the other went in the sixth round. And neither running back was a first-rounder.
» For the fourth season in a row -- and the ninth time in 12 seasons -- the quarterback was a first-rounder. But those nine appearances were by just two quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, who is this season's selection).
OFFENSE
QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
College/draft status: California/1st round (24th overall, by Green Bay) in 2005
RB Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh
College/draft status: Michigan State/2nd round (48th overall, by Pittsburgh) in 2013
RB DeMarco Murray, Dallas
College/draft status: Oklahoma/3rd round (71st overall, by Dallas) in 2011
FB John Kuhn, Green Bay
College/draft status: Shippensburg (Pa.)/undrafted free agent (signed by Pittsburgh) in 2005
WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh
College/draft status: Central Michigan/6th round (195th overall, by Pittsburgh) in 2010
WR Dez Bryant, Dallas
College/draft status: Oklahoma State/1st round (24th overall, by Dallas) in 2010
TE Rob Gronkowski, New England
College/draft status: Arizona/2nd round (42nd overall, by New England) in 2010
T Tyron Smith, Dallas
College/draft status: USC/1st round (9th overall, by Dallas) in 2011
T Joe Thomas, Cleveland
College/draft status: Wisconsin/1st round (3rd overall, by Cleveland) in 2007
G Zack Martin, Dallas
College/draft status: Notre Dame/1st round (16th overall, by Dallas) in 2014
G Marshal Yanda, Baltimore
College/draft status: Iowa/3rd round (86th overall, by Baltimore) in 2007
C Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh
College/draft status: Florida/1st round (18th overall, by Pittsburgh) in 2010
DEFENSE
DE J.J. Watt, Houston
College/draft status: Wisconsin/1st round (11th overall, by Houston) in 2011
DE Mario Williams, Buffalo
College/draft status: North Carolina State/1st round (1st overall, by Houston) in 2006
DT Marcell Dareus, Buffalo
College/draft status: Alabama/1st round (3rd overall, by Buffalo) in 2011
DT Ndamukong Suh, Detroit
College/draft status: Nebraska/1st round (2nd overall, by Detroit) in 2010
OLB Elvis Dumervil, Baltimore
College/draft status: Louisville/4th round (126th overall, by Denver) in 2006
OLB Justin Houston, Kansas City
College/draft status: Georgia/3rd round (70th overall, by Kansas City) in 2011
ILB Luke Kuechly, Carolina
College/draft status: Boston College/1st round (9th overall, by Carolina) in 2012
ILB Bobby Wagner, Seattle
College/draft status: Utah State/2nd round (47th overall, by Seattle) in 2012
CB Darrelle Revis, New England
College/draft status: Pitt/1st round (14th overall, by New York Jets) in 2007
CB Richard Sherman, Seattle
College/draft status: Stanford/5th round (154th overall, by Seattle) in 2011
S Earl Thomas, Seattle
College/draft status: Texas/1st round (14th overall, by Seattle) in 2010
S Eric Weddle, San Diego
College/draft status: Utah/2nd round (37th overall, by San Diego) in 2007
SPECIALISTS
K Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis
College/draft status: South Dakota State/undrafted free agent in 1995 (signed by New England in 1996)
P Pat McAfee, Indianapolis
College/draft status: West Virginia/7th round (222nd overall, by Indianapolis) in 2009
KR Adam Jones, Cincinnati
College/draft status: West Virginia/1st round as CB (6th overall, by Tennessee) in 2005
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
