The AP All-Pro team was released Friday, Jan. 13, a couple of days after the release of PFF’s All-Pro selections.
This year, I was a voter on the AP team for the first time, but as one voice of 50, there were always going to be places where I differed from the majority of the voters.
Here are five players I believe were unlucky to miss out this year.
Meet The Associated Press’ 2022 NFL All-Pro team!
The highlights:
-Chiefs, 49ers lead the way with four first-team selections
-Travis Kelce, Justin Jefferson picked unanimously
-Sauce Gardner is the first rookie CB picked in 41 yearsFull story: https://t.co/XCGjNbQ9Hs pic.twitter.com/kE6yUMuXEd
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) January 13, 2023
Edge Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
This one always felt inevitable.
Three edge rushers had All-Pro caliber seasons, and with just two spots available for the first team, it was always going to feel harsh leaving one of them out.
Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa always had the hype surrounding them this season and were on big media-market teams that made the playoffs. Garrett played on a bad defense and a much worse team, and he’s watching the playoffs from home. Still, his season stacks up with the other two.
Garrett actually had the highest pass-rush win rate (25.3%) of the three, and according to PFF data shown here by Timo Riske, had the hardest assignments.
2022 edge rushers. zoomed out a little bit so that all names fit in there. pic.twitter.com/44RLpd3tr3
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) January 10, 2023
DI Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants
Chris Jones was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but Quinnen Williams was a dominant force for most of the season but cooled off late in the season.
Dexter Lawrence continued his charge all season, finishing with the best PFF pass-rushing grade (92.4) of any interior lineman, narrowly beating Jones. He had 63 total pressures to Jones’ 77, but that came on more than 100 fewer pass-rushing snaps over the season. Lawrence was a dominant force all season for the Giants and had a career year.
LB Bobby Wagner, Los Angeles Rams
I think the belief was that Wagner was cooked when the Seahawks let him leave. His Rams debut against the Buffalo Bills didn’t do much to dispel that notion, but from then on, he bounced back to something like his best play.
Wagner was elite against the run all season and earned a PFF grade of at least 77.9 in every facet of play. He missed four tackles all year, a quarter of the number of Fred Warner and Roquan Smith and a fifth of Matt Milano’s total.
G Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
Zack Martin is arguably the best lineman in the NFL, but he didn't play up to his usual standard this season. He was still excellent — particularly as a pass-protector — but Lindstrom was a dominant force in the run game for the Falcons.
His 93.1 PFF run-blocking grade was the best of any lineman in the league regardless of position, and he allowed just nine pressures all season in the most run-heavy offense in football.
S Ryan Neal, Seattle Seahawks
It may be due to playing time — Neal played in just 13 games due to injury — but there were several candidates who could have made it over the 49ers Talanoa Hufanga, who timed his best play for some big televised games before cooling off over the season.
Neal was PFF’s highest-graded safety, making 25 defensive stops, two forced fumbles and six pass breakups to go along with his one interception. He was a real difference-maker for the Seahawks when he was on the field.
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