As we hurtle deeper into the NFL offseason, it’s time to dust off another one of my favorite annual predictive looks at the upcoming campaign: my list of potential first-time Pro Bowlers. This piece also, interestingly enough, serves to put a kind of bow on the previous season.
First-time Pro Bowlers are not just players on the rise, but oftentimes consistently good players who have not yet been named an NFL All-Star via the increasingly ridiculous and nebulous voting system.
My rules for the post are simple and few:
• No rookies allowed.
• Remember that like 900 people end up making the Pro Bowl, so alternates, especially at the quarterback position, totally count.
• No holdovers from the previous year’s post (which you can read here)
Last year, some of our “hits” included Frankie Luvu (who missed the Pro Bowl, but was named to the more important All-Pro team), Trey McBride and Jonathan Greenard.
With all that in mind, let’s dive in …
NFC
Bryce Young, QB, Panthers
Before you do a spit take, let’s go through the quarterbacks on last year’s roster: Jared Goff, Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield. Geno Smith made the Pro Bowl the year before with a 20-touchdown, nine-interception campaign (albeit in a horribly broken Seahawks offense). You mean to tell me that Young can’t approach those numbers and, with the tailwind of support from an NFL that wants to highlight a deeper stable of talented quarterbacks than meets the eye, make the Pro Bowl? Over Young’s final eight games last season, he had 1,709 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. With the addition of Tetairoa McMillan in the first round, it’s hard to imagine this offense getting markedly worse. Dave Canales has worked his quarterback magic again, allowing Young to accentuate his tools instead of trying to be more than the sum of his parts on every single play.
Caleb Williams, QB, Bears
Williams is another obvious candidate under new coach Ben Johnson. He went from a situation with multiple offensive coordinators during his rookie season to landing the best play-caller in the NFL as a head coach, an all-new offensive line and a weapon at tight end (Colston Loveland) in the first round of the draft. Chicago will be able to run a wide open and versatile 12-personnel, which will give Williams more time and freedom at the line and the Bears more options to puncture defenses. When Williams got the ball out on time, he was spectacular last season, even with a system that was dreadfully conceived. His stat line, which included 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, is the basis of an elite quarterback statistical ceiling. As we mentioned before, the back end of the NFC Pro Bowl QB lineup is 100% up for grabs, and there’s no reason to believe a player—who will also benefit from the now-constant threat of high-EPA trick plays thanks to Johnson’s arrival—isn’t going to pick apart defenses that are more on guard.
Charles Cross, T, Seahawks
Cross is a beastly blocker who, stunningly, has not been named to a Pro Bowl through his first three seasons. While he suffers from being in a conference that might have the five best tackles in the sport (Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Penei Sewell, Trent Williams and Tristan Wirfs), Cross’s contributions shouldn’t be ignored. Against top-tier talent, he’s a shutdown artist and doesn’t get blown away by the likes of Aidan Hutchinson or Nick Bosa. No particular style of edge rusher seems to present an Achilles heel for Cross, who will be instrumental in ushering in a new bootleg-style offense with Sam Darnold and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Perhaps seeing Seattle’s run game rise and Cross emerge as more of a brand-name run blocker atop his pass-blocking prowess will be enough to cement him as a perpetual Pro Bowler.
Cooper DeJean, S, Eagles
If there was a stat called simply “Plays effed up,” I suspect DeJean might have led the NFL in his rookie season. Because he can play almost anywhere in the secondary, and because he can see the development of a play so clearly, last year there were dozens of screen plays, draws, rub routes and crossers that simply didn’t happen or were totally blown up because DeJean has a unique ability to stick his hands into the control panel and yank out all the wires. Unfortunately, his style of play doesn’t necessarily lend itself to glamorous stats. DeJean doesn’t get a lot of sacks or picks, and because he’s playing so far off the ball his opposing completion percentage is not low enough to pop off the sheet. All that said, our understanding of football has helped us move beyond using certain stats as biomarkers and, after a legend-cementing run in the Super Bowl, DeJean should be front of mind plenty next year.
Kaden Elliss, LB, Falcons
While I’ve always been an Elliss admirer, I am admittedly stealing this pick from friend and former coworker Kevin Patra, who named him a Pro Bowl snub in January. Elliss is one of those spectacularly grimy defensive players who seems to just melt his way into the backfield. He’s a swarming, sideline-to-sideline player. He is incredible on stunts working off defensive linemen and edge rushers and he always manages to get his hands on the quarterback. He had a pressure last year on Jalen Hurts that eventually led to a game-ending interception. In 2024, Elliss had a career high in tackles (151) and QB hits (16). He picked off a pass, forced and recovered a fumble and knocked down the quarterback 11 times. I imagine pairing Elliss with new Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, himself a 10-year NFL veteran, and Mike Rutenberg, one of the top linebackers coaches in the NFL, will only bolster his credentials.
AFC
Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills
Jerry Jeudy was the second starter in the AFC last year with a 90-catch, 1,200-yard, four-touchdown season. Shakir more than doubled his target volume last season, going from 45 in 2023 to 100 in his third season. Assuming Shakir’s rise was part of the reason the Bills felt so comfortable attacking the defensive side of the ball in the draft, one would assume he’ll be heavily involved in Josh Allen’s plans for this upcoming season. Let’s say Shakir sees 20 more balls this year and catches an extra 14, he’d be right in Jeudy territory—and Bills fans are known to show out for home-grown talent on the verge of Pro Bowl consideration (although how has Christian Benford—whom I brought up in this column last year—not been a Pro Bowler yet, either?).
Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens
Likely could end up taking the reins as TE1 for the Ravens this season. Mark Andrews only out-targeted Likely 69 to 58 last season. Now entering his age-25 season, Likely is rounding into his athletic peak, not to mention peak comfort alongside Lamar Jackson. Last year’s tight end alternate in the Pro Bowl was Jonnu Smith, who roughly doubled Likely’s statistical output. Likely had a career-high six touchdowns and could bridge the statistical gap by becoming the primary red zone option for Jackson (outside, of course, of giving the ball to Derrick Henry). Also, hopefully seeing the voting public remove post-peak Travis Kelce from an automatic spot would open up a place for Likely.
Dylan Parham, G; or Kolton Miller, T, Raiders
This one may seem out of left field, but I am choosing either Parham or Miller as my offensive lineman who gets the Ashton Jeanty boost. Parham had his best year as a Raider in 2024, amid less-than-desirable circumstances and a true lack of an identity within the run game. He finished the season as one of the better run-blocking guards in the NFL, paving the way for Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Zamir White and Sincere McCormick. Miller is the safer bet, given that he’s been Las Vegas’s stalwart at the left tackle spot for the better part of seven seasons.
Chip Kelly is coming back to the NFL from Ohio State, surely with the directive to run the football like he did a year ago when he got two Buckeye running backs drafted early in the second round. While Miller is more of a natural pass protector, he could get the name recognition boost if Vegas develops a reputation as a steamroller offense.
Christian Gonzalez, DB, Patriots
Amid a dismal 2024 Patriots season, Gonzalez allowed an opposing quarterback completion percentage well under 60% and a quarterback rating of 71. His missed tackle percentage reduced by more than 10% and, more importantly, you could see him growing over the course of the season. He was routinely trailing top wide receivers and had excellent games against the likes of future hall of famer Davante Adams and the promising Marvin Harrison Jr. I would assume Mike Vrabel will bring out more of the run defender in Gonzalez as well, utilizing his imposing body type for more than just lockdown coverage. New England’s defense will most likely not finish in the bottom quarter of the league in EPA, as it did a year ago, which could generate enough of a hype train to shove Gonzalez into the Pro Bowl conversation.
Greg Rousseau, edge, Bills
Rousseau tied his career high with eight sacks in 2024, and saw a breakout year in terms of QB hits, with a career high of 24. While I don’t know whether Joey Bosa’s presence will decrease any attention to Rousseau, he’s gotten to the point in his career where he’s good enough to routinely dominate inferior tackle play. The AFC East is going to have a lot of unseasoned offensive tackles (a first- and second-year starter for the Jets, Patrick Paul and Austin Jackson for the Dolphins, and a first-year starter for the Patriots) though Rousseau played a lot of his best games in 2024 against the best teams and offensive lines on Buffalo’s schedule. The Bills are primed to make another legitimate Super Bowl run, and if that happens they will have a handful of first-timers named to the Pro Bowl. Why not the newly extended edge rusher entering his fifth season?
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ten Possible First-Time NFL Pro Bowlers in 2025.