Top 5 most surprising Pro Bowl 2024 selections ft. Budda Baker

The 2024 Pro Bowl rosters were officially revealed on Wednesday evening.

Even if the Pro Bowl has lost some of its shine in recent years, being named to the team is still a big thing. Every year, fans turn to social media to discuss the players who made the Pro Bowl.

With that, here are five surprising players who were named Pro Bowlers:

5 surprising players named to Pro Bowl

#1, Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals

Budda Baker is one of the best safety in the NFL, but many assumed Antoine Winfield Jr. would be named ahead of him.

Jessie Bates and Julian Love were also among the right choices to make the Pro Bowl, but Winfield Jr. has had a better season.

Winfield Jr. has recorded 40 more tackles, five more sacks, and five more forced fumbles, but three fewer interceptions than Baker.

On paper, Winfield Jr. has had a better season, so it was surprising to see Baker on the Pro Bowl team.

#2, Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes was named to the Pro Bowl

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has arguably been the best quarterback in the NFL for years.

Mahomes, on the other hand, is having a down season, going 401-for-597 for 4,183 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He was chosen over Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who has passed for 240 yards less but has the same number of touchdowns and has also rushed for 15 touchdowns, while Mahomes has zero.

Allen has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and Mahomes being on the Pro Bowl roster was a surprise.

#3, Dexter Lawrence II, DT, New York Giants

Dexter Lawrence II has recorded 4.5 sacks this season

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II has had a phenomenal season, but it was a surprise to see him on the Pro Bowl roster.

Left off of the Pro Bowl was Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who has recorded 96 tackles on the season, which is two shy of the single-season mark for a defensive lineman.

Brown has recorded 44 more tackles than Lawrence II, and although Brown only has one sack on the season, he's arguably the best run defender in the NFL.

Getting sacks is flashy, but Lawrence only has 3.5 more than Brown, while the Panthers DT also recorded an interception this season.

#4, Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens

Justin Tucker was the AFC's kicker

Justin Tucker is one of the best kickers in NFL history, but his inclusion on the 2024 Pro Bowl team feels more reminiscent of his past than of his performance this season.

Tucker is 31-for-36 on field goals, which is good for 86.1%, while being 1-for-5 on 50+. It was a down year for Tucker, and Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins should have gotten the nod.

Hopkins hit 33 of 36 field goals for 91.7%, including an 8-for-8 on 50+. Despite being injured on Christmas Eve, Hopkins was the best kicker in the AFC this season, and Tucker's inclusion in the Pro Bowl was unexpected.

#5, Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Evans caught 13 touchdowns this season

Mike Evans has been one of the top receivers in the NFL since he joined the league in 2014, as he's recorded over 1,000 yards every year.

This season, Evans caught 76 passes for 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns for a solid season. In any other year, that would be Pro Bowl-worthy, but Evans had 138 yards fewer than Amon-Ra St. Brown and 84 fewer yards than Brandon Aiyuk.

Although Evans did record more touchdown receptions than those two, Aiyuk was arguably the fourth option on his team, while St. Brown was getting double-teamed quite often and still put up those numbers.