Pro Bowl voting is now open. And if you are like me and prefer to give your Pro Bowl votes to players who are deserving of it right now, and not for past success or just because they play for your favorite team, I’m here to help. At least in terms of Raiders players, that is. I’ve compiled a list of Raiders who right now you can feel good about having earned your vote.
1. DE Maxx Crosby
Crosby has led the NFL in pressures and QB hits all season long. Some voters will probably ding him for his sack total (five), but all the more reason to draw attention to his overall play. And Pro Football Focus has him as their highest-graded edge rusher so far this season. Crosby is having a Pro Bowl-caliber season.
2. P AJ Cole
He leads the NFL in punt average (52.1) and is fifth in net yards (42.9) among players with at least 35 punts. He only has four touchbacks all season with 14 stopped inside the 20.
3. TE Darren Waller
Waller is currently third in the AFC among tight ends in catches (44) and fourth in yards (494). And that’s while missing a game to injury.
4. LT Kolton Miller
Miller has given up just one sack this season. Granted it was the strip-sack that ended their chances against the Giants two weeks ago, but still. He’s protected his QB’s blindside as well as any left tackle in football in football. While he probably won’t come close to getting the votes, he has earned some respect for his work.
5. LB Denzel Perryman
Perryman has been a tackling machine this season. He has led the NFL in tackling much of the season. Currently, he leads the league with 58 solo tackles and is second in combined tackles per game (11.3). He is one of just three players in the NFL to have already surpassed 100 tackles in nine games played.
***VOTE HERE***
Still time to earn it…
DE Yannick Ngakoue — Currently leads the Raiders in sacks (six). He has gotten all his sacks in bunches and if he can keep it up, double-digit sacks could be in his future.
CB Casey Hayward — He has been quietly shutting down his side of the field all season long. It’s quiet because he has yet to record an interception. He’s gonna need to get a few of those to earn votes.
QB Derek Carr — His passing yards numbers are good (2826), but that’s about it. At this point, there’s no way he deserves a vote over the likes of Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Justin Herbert. I might even put Joe Burrow up there too.