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Last year, Darius Slay had a breakout year, leading the NFL in both interceptions and pass breakups. As a result, Slay made the first Pro Bowl of his career, traveling to Hawaii with teammate T.J. Lang, who was named to the all-star team for the second year in a row.
But the Lions still have plenty of talented players who have never achieved Pro Bowl Honors. That got us thinking, which Lions player could follow in Slay’s footsteps and make the first Pro Bowl of their career in 2018?
NFL.com asked that question of all NFC teams, and their answer was linebacker Jarrad Davis for the Lions.
Is that the right answer or do you have someone else in mind? Today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions player will be the next to make their first Pro Bowl?
My answer: I think there are some really solid answers out there, like Jamal Agnew—who was a ridiculous snub last year. I also think Devon Kennard’s new role in Matt Patricia’s defense could open up the opportunity for him to pick up a lot sacks and sneak into the Pro Bowl roster as a linebacker.
However, my answer is left tackle Taylor Decker. With the Lions’ offensive line finally stacked with potential talent and Decker entering the year healthy, this could be a breakout year for the young tackle. Although he’ll be playing alongside a rookie, Decker has the talent and now 24 games of experience under his belt.
The big question with Decker is how will he get noticed as one of the top left tackles in the league? That’s a tough position to get recognized at, since there are no official stats to back up a good offensive line performance. Instead, legacy offensive linemen who already have established themselves as solid offensive linemen usually get selected to the Pro Bowl, regardless of whether they had a good season or not.
However, if Detroit’s running game gets going and Stafford’s sack numbers significantly drop, that could be enough to turn heads. And that would make Decker next in line to make the Pro Bowl.
Your turn.