Saturday open thread: Which Lions players deserve to make the Pro Bowl this year?

Fan voting for the upcoming Pro Bowl concluded on Friday, which makes up for one-third of the voting. The other two-thirds is made up by players and coaches.

As of Thursday, the Detroit Lions had six players in the top 10 of their respective positions. Frank Ragnow is the highest on the list as fourth among all centers. Last year, only three players finished in the top 10 of their positions for fan voting. One of those players was T.J. Hockenson, who is now a Viking, and the other two were fullback Jason Cabinda and long snapper Scott Daly.

This year, there are some notable Lions players that deserve more recognition and deserve the chance to be a Pro Bowler.

Today’s Question of the Day is...

Which Lions players deserve to make the Pro Bowl this year?

My answer:

Frank Ragnow

To me, no one on this team deserves a Pro Bowl nod more than Ragnow. He is currently the fourth-highest graded center in the NFL via PFF and second in the NFC. Ragnow made the Pro Bowl back in 2020 and has identical numbers in terms of PFF grades, and similar numbers when it comes to pass blocking efficiency and pressures given up. Considering he’s doing all of this while on a bum foot only makes it more impressive.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Take a guess who is the No. 1 graded receiver in the NFC this year. If you guessed Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp, or A.J. Brown, then you’re wrong. It’s the Sun God himself.

St. Brown is tied for fifth in the NFL with 82 receptions right now and everyone ahead of him has played one more game than him. 82 catches on only 109 targets. Though he’s behind guys like Jefferson, Brown, Tyler Lockett, CeeDee Lamb, Terry McLaurin and DK Metcalf in receiving yards, he’s fourth in the NFC in receiving yards per game. It’s only his second year in the NFL, but the Sun God is already deserving of a Pro Bowl nod.

Honorable Mentions

Penei Sewell - This could be the year that Sewell makes it. He’s really close and it’s more about there being a lot of really good tackles in the NFC than it is his own play. He’s been tremendous all year, and maybe the flashy first down catch against the Vikings can boost his recognition and get him in. Currently, Sewell is the 11th-highest graded tackle in the NFL (8th in the NFC).

Jonah Jackson - Jackson is really close and like Sewell, hasn’t really done anything wrong, but has some very good players ahead of him in the NFC, like Chris Lindstrom, Teven Jenkins, and Isaac Seumalo. In terms of skill and production, he should be really close to getting in, but I don’t know if he has the respect and the recognition around the league yet—despite getting in last year. If he keeps playing the way he is, then it’s only a matter of time before he gets back.

Jared Goff - If you look at the numbers, there aren’t many quarterbacks in the NFC that are playing all that well. Jalen Hurts and Geno Smith I think you can clearly put ahead of Goff, but there is a real argument to be made here that he deserves to be the next one in, as three make it.

If I missed anyone, let me know in the comments section below.