Public perception of the Pro Bowl has shifted considerably over the years. Pro Bowl selections used to be viewed as the ultimate honor and the de facto way to sort the good players from the great ones. With better metrics for evaluating individual player performances now more widely available, the Pro Bowl is viewed by fans as almost more of an afterthought — especially as the actual exhibition game decreased in competitiveness and finally went away. 

But make no mistake, the Pro Bowl still matters. Tons of contract incentives are tied to Pro Bowl selections and agents still use it to negotiate more money for their clients. If it’s going to remain this relevant, I’d argue it needs a serious overhaul in its selection processes to make sure the best players participate.

But in the meantime, the only thing I can do is highly some of the players who were snubbed for selections. I didn’t list these players in any particular order, though I did start with the guy I thought got snubbed the worst:

Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd

Some exclusions I’ll cover in this are understandable for one reason or another. This one isn’t. Outside of 49ers LB Fred Warner, who’s been out with a broken ankle since early October, Lloyd has been the best linebacker in the NFL this year, and it isn’t particularly close. He has 76 tackles, five interceptions, two sacks, seven passes defensed and a fumble recovery on the season despite missing two games due to injury.

And the advanced numbers for him are even better. He’s the third-highest graded linebacker in the league, per PFF, with an 88.8 overall defensive grade. The Jaguars have a top-five defense in the NFL in EPA per play allowed, and Lloyd’s performance is a huge reason why. Jacksonville stifles teams over the middle of the field, largely because Lloyd’s turned that area into a no-fly zone.

Then there’s the fact that the AFC’s linebacker selections were pretty underwhelming. Ravens LB Roquan Smith has been fine this season, but it’s been a down year for him by his standards. Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair may anchor one of the best defenses in the league, but Lloyd has been better in every advanced metric and only trails in raw tackles. Lloyd was the best (healthy) linebacker in the NFL this season and deserved a Pro Bowl nod.

Rams Gs Kevin Dotson & Steve Avila

I’m lumping these two together because you could have given either a Pro Bowl nod and it would’ve been appropriate. Dotson and Avila both rank top five in PFF grade among guards (86.4 and 79.0, respectively) and they are the heart and soul of one of the most improved offensive lines in football.

The Rams have the best-graded run-blocking offensive line in the NFL and they’ve moved into the top 10 in pass blocking, as well. Los Angeles is dominating teams on the ground thanks in large part to these two, and either one would be a worthy Pro Bowler.

Bears G Joe Thuney and Falcons G Chris Lindstrom are absolutely worthy of their selections. I’d swap out Cowboys G Tyler Smith for Dotson, however. Smith isn’t even the best guard on his own team, as that would be first-round G Tyler Booker. Regardless, it’s a shame that the Rams had two of the best guards in the league this season and neither was selected.

Texans ED Danielle Hunter

The Pro Bowl designations at edge rusher are split between outside linebackers and defensive ends. I’ll be lumping them together and talking about them interchangeably, because I find the distinction rather pointless in the modern game.

Between the two positions, six AFC edge rushers were named to the Pro Bowl. Hunter had a better year than all of them save his teammate, Will Anderson Jr., and Browns ED Myles Garrett. He had 52 tackles, 14 sacks, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He ranked fifth in PFF grade among edge rushers with an 88.1. Whether you prefer counting stats (Hunter ranks third in the NFL in sacks) or advanced metrics, Hunter deserves inclusion.

Packers S Xavier McKinney

There isn’t a position worse off than safety when it comes to Pro Bowl misses, in both conferences. Let’s start in the NFC, where Cardinals S Budda Baker should not have sniffed a Pro Bowl berth this season. And while Bears S Kevin Byard and Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. had solid seasons, there were much better options in the conference that deserved inclusion.

Seahawks S Julian Love, Rams S Quentin Lake and Lions S Brian Branch were all elite this season, but they all also missed time due to injury. So my vote goes to McKinney, who had 107 tackles, two interceptions, a sack, 10 passes defensed, and a forced fumble, as well as ranked in the top 10 in PFF grade among safeties (80.6).

Texans S Jalen Pitre

On the AFC’s side, I nominate Pitre. Chargers S Derwin James and Ravens S Kyle Hamilton were both worthy selections, but Steelers CB/S Jalen Ramsey did not have a good season, especially compared to the competition.

Pitre, on the other hand, has been incredible. He has 71 tackles, four interceptions and 12 passes defensed on the year. He’s second among safeties in PFF grade with an 85.5 and he’s been elite against the run and in coverage. Arguably the best safety in football this season, he was absolutely snubbed.

Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks

I mentioned earlier that I was underwhelmed by the AFC’s Pro Bowl linebacker selections. Lloyd is the big miss there, but I would still nominate Brooks ahead of either Smith or Al-Shaair. With one game to go, he has 174 tackles, four sacks, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He’s top 10 among linebackers in PFF grade with a 78.4, as well.

Brooks has better counting stats and advanced numbers than both Smith and Al-Shaair. He’s a bit weaker in his coverage than his run defense, but so is Al-Shaair. Outside of name recognition, I can’t think of a reason to include Smith over Brooks, and to include Al-Shaair over him, you have to credit him with the performance of Houston’s defense as a whole.

Colts ED Laiatu Latu

This name might be a surprise to some, but I’d argue Latu has a pretty strong argument for inclusion to the Pro Bowl. His 43 tackles and nine sacks don’t jump off the page, but he has 63 pressures and is the only consistent pass rusher on the edge for Indy, so he sees frequent double-teams. He ranks 11th among edge rushers in PFF grade with an 83.6, and he’s bizarrely great in coverage, with three interceptions and five passes defensed on the year. He’s been more consistently productive this season than Steelers ED T.J. Watt — and not by a small margin, either.

Steelers DT Cameron Heyward

One of the most surprising exclusions from the Pro Bowl, Heyward has been the best player on that Pittsburgh defense. He has 71 tackles, four sacks, six passes defensed and a forced fumble on the season, ranking first in PFF grade among all interior defenders with a 90.2. He would have been a much better selection than Chiefs DT Chris Jones.

Rams DT Kobie Turner

Continuing our overhaul of the defensive tackle position, let’s give a nod to The Conductor. With seven sacks, he’s tied with Seahawks DT Leonard Williams for second-most among interior defenders, behind only Titans DT Jeffery Simmons. Turner ranks seventh in PFF grade among defensive tackles with a 78.7. By comparison, Eagles DT Jalen Carter only has three sacks on the year and is outside the top 50 in PFF grade. Despite his reputation, Carter did not have a Pro Bowl-caliber season.

Patriots G Michael Onwenu

By far the best player on a refurbished New England offensive front, Onwenu is the eighth-highest graded guard in PFF’s system with a 78.0. The Patriots have fielded a fairly average offensive line this season, which is far better than most expected from them, and Onwenu is a big reason why. On the other hand, Chiefs G Trey Smith had a down season by his standards, ranking outside the top 25 in PFF grade and the Kansas City line as a whole really struggled.

Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie

Kansas City had a disappointing season, but McDuffie was excellent once again. He’s 11th in PFF grade among corners with a 75.6 and he has 63 tackles, an interception, seven passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble on the season. Browns CB Denzel Ward is coming off a great game against the Steelers, but McDuffie had a better all-around season.

Colts OT Bernhard Raimann

The AFC Pro Bowl selections at tackle were interesting for a few reasons. Chargers OT Joe Alt played less than half the season, and Bills OT Dion Dawkins wasn’t even the best tackle on his own team this season. I’d put Raimann above both, as he’s the best pass protector on an excellent Colts’ line and ranks 12th among tackles in PFF grade, with an 81.9.

Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle

Wide receiver was loaded this year, as it always is, but I’d argue Waddle deserved a spot. He has 64 catches for 910 yards and six touchdowns, ranking 12th among receivers in PFF grade with an 84.0. Even though he has about 100 fewer yards than these two, I would have voted him in over Ravens WR Zay Flowers or Broncos WR Courtland Sutton.