The 2016 Pro Bowl selections dropped today, and while at first glance it's a formidable squad, a few deserving Ravens might have been left off the list.
Now this of course is to be expected with the league's method of determining who goes to Hawaii. With the fan vote, that means name recognition rules over all, and players that receive less attention in smaller markets are often cast aside for bigger names.
It is for this reason that the Ravens seem to field so few Pro Bowlers. While these guys might not be honored on the big stage in Honolulu, we think they should certainly be there among the league's best and brightest.
Brandon Williams
@BMoreBeatdown Brandon Williams. Tell us what nose guard is better?
— Larrie Davis (@LDSLIMO) December 23, 2015
The third-year defensive tackle has stepped up admirably in place of longtime starter Haloti Ngata. Yet no one has seemed to notice. Williams consistently grades out as one of the league's best by Pro Football Focus, and he's always in the backfield disrupting the play. Williams has outpaced his previous season tackles and sacks records, and also has two pass deflections. On a young budding defensive line, Williams is the stand out. Give it a couple of years, and we should see Williams in Hawaii.
C.J. Mosley
Mosley has already been selected to a Pro Bowl squad. He got the nod last year, and some say he should've gotten it again. His stats are slightly worse than the ones he posted in his rookie campaign, but are still impressive nonetheless. Mosley has anchored the Ravens' defense in these turbulent times, and is a force in both the pass and rush defense. Mosley is another name who should be on the Honolulu squad in the next few years.
Daryl Smith
Another great linebacker who has been unappreciated his entire career. Smith should've received a Pro Bowl nod at some point in his career, but it hasn't happened yet. That's a shame. The veteran linebacker has been productive his whole career, and that didn't stop this season. Smith tripled his sack output from last year, and is still putting up productive tackling stats. This on top of the fact that Smith has been an 'Iron Man' for the Ravens, playing every game in his three-year stint with the Ravens.
A grassroots campaign got Sam Koch in the Pro Bowl, and we might just need to launch one for Daryl Smith next season.
While you won't see these guys in the big game, you can watch their fellow teammates Sam Koch and Marshal Yanda take on the rest of the NFL's best in this year's Pro Bowl, televised on ESPN at 8 PM ET on Sunday, January 31st.