The NFL draft is one of the most critical pieces in building a successful franchise. Not only is it where teams often look for a quarterback to build their organization around, but also, it is where they can find talented, young players to fill the gaps throughout their roster.
And each year—we see a handful of the rookies taken, rise to the occasion and perform well enough to earn a trip to Pro Bowl, despite it being their first experience on an NFL field.
So, without further ado—let’s take a look forward at the 2023 season and project which NFL rookies will have balled out enough to earn this prestigious accolade!
Bijan Robinson
Bijan Robinson, the former University of Texas running back is a great place to start.
At UT, Robinson was one of the most dynamic players in the country. Each year he earned more and more of the workload—and his production continued to climb along with his usage.
During his final season on campus, Robinson was a unanimous All-American and a Doak Walker winner, after rushing the ball 258 times for 1580 yards and 18 touchdowns. The speedy running back also added 314 yards and two touchdowns on 19 receptions.
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It isn’t just his college career that has us so high on the number 8 pick in this year’s draft’s potential to be a Pro Bowler. He was taken by the Atlanta Falcons, whose entire offense is built around the running game.
In 2022, Atlanta had the second most rush attempts per game, averaging 32.9 per, only bested by Philadelphia, who probably only outdid them because they were one of the top teams in the league all season and often found themselves up late in games and free to run out the remainder of the clock.
With a QB as athletic as Desmond Ridder likely stepping into the lineup as the full-time starter— Robinson should have plenty of opportunities to make plays off of the attention that Ridder attracts.
And with Atlanta having invested a top-10 pick in him—I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get the bulk of the workload right off the bat, which will put him in a good place counting numbers-wise to have a chance at the Pro Bowl.
Especially when you consider the reality that there are very few true bell cow running backs in the NFL these days… This gives a rookie back with less mileage on his legs a good opportunity to pull away statistically—and earn one of those coveted Pro Bowl selections.
Dalton Kincaid
Sticking on the offensive side of the ball… There are two tight ends that jump out as early Pro Bowl favorites. The former Iowa tight end, Sam LaPorta, who was taken by the Detroit Lions at the top of the second round, 34th overall—and Dalton Kincaid, who was taken nine picks earlier, by the Bills to join an already talented tight end room with Dawson Knox.
Starting with the latter… Intuition might suggest that with Knox still in Buffalo, Kincaid might struggle to get the volume required for him to put up Pro Bowl numbers, but the former Utah Ute very well may surprise everyone with his 2023 output.
For starters, it is hard to imagine that Buffalo would’ve used their first-round pick on Kincaid without planning on featuring him in the offense a fair amount. Knox has been solid for Buffalo, but he will definitely see his role change with the rookie tight end being brought into the fold.
And Buffalo using a first-rounder on a tight end also signals that they may be trying to shift their offense towards being more tight end centric, as they were among the bottom of the league in tight end targets during 2022.
Either way—the young tight end will have a great opportunity to succeed right off the bat. Knox is a consummate teammate—and should do well to mentor him.
And with Josh Allen tossing the pigskin anything is possible. He is one of the most talented passers in the league and if the Bills are really keying in on their tight ends, Kincaid should have no issue finding enough opportunities to get the ball, as long as he is progressing like we expect him to.
Especially now that Stefon Diggs’ relationship with the team is becoming increasingly strained!
Sam LaPorta
Sam LaPorta on the other hand… Well… He has a ringing endorsement from one of the league’s best tight ends as it stands—George Kittle.
“LaPorta is going to be fantastic,” Kittle said on the popular Pardon My Take podcast. “I think Laporta’s the best tight end in the draft class. I think the Lions got a complete steal. I like the other tight ends too, but I spent two weeks training with Sam LaPorta, and the way he moves, oh yeah, he’s got the dog in him.”
Beyond LaPorta’s athleticism, which Kittle of course praised, he also stepping into a Lions team that is used to running a chunk of its passing offense through the tight end position—and has a vacancy in the depth chart after their 2022 mid-season trade of longtime tight end, TJ Hockenson.
Not to mention that LaPorta will be running routes for Jared Goff—a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who looked to be a completely revitalized during the Lions’ late-season playoff push in 2022.
Don’t be shocked if we see Goff and LaPorta build up some chemistry early this upcoming season and the 2022 Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year award-winning adds another award to his trophy case with a Pro Bowl selection.
After all, the Lions had a skeleton crew at the position last year after dealing Hocksenson—and the two tight ends that got the bulk of the work in his absence, Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra finished the season with four touchdowns each.
Now that Detroit has invested such a high pick in LaPorta—the team will likely look to funnel those targets his way and he could easily find his way onto the Pro Bowl roster as part of an admittedly shallow position group.
Will Anderson Jr.
Hopping over to the defensive side of the ball for a moment…
The Houston Texans defensive end, Will Anderson Jr., is also an early favorite amongst this year’s rookie class to make a Pro Bowl in year one.
The third overall pick in the draft is a freak among freak athletes. At 6’ 3” and 253 pounds, he ran a 4.6 40 at the combine—and he’s strong as a bull… The point being—he should have more than enough physicality to get after the opposing quarterback plenty.
He will also be playing across from another former first-round pick, Jerry Hughes, who totaled nine sacks last year—and, more importantly, is a 13-year vet, who knows all the tricks of the trade at this point—and should be able to help guide Anderson towards a successful first season in the league.
And if Hughes can’t get through to Anderson—I think it is pretty safe to assume that the Texans first year head coach, DeMeco Ryans, who just so happens to be the architect of those nasty 49ers defenses we’ve seen in recent years—should be able to do the trick.
Tyree Wilson
Sticking on the defensive line… Tyree Wilson and Jalen Carter, could very well join Anderson in earning the rare distinction of making a Pro Bowl team during their first season as a pro.
Wilson was taken 7th overall by the Vegas Raiders and will be the beneficiary of rushing the QB across from one of the very best in the league, Maxx Crosby.
So… Basically… The former Texas Tech standout landed in pretty much the perfect position to succeed right off the back. Not only can he learn from Crosby, but he will also have almost exclusively 1 one 1 match ups because of how much attention is counterpart demands from opposing offensive lines.
I mean, a 33-year-old Chandler Jones was able to manage 4.5 sacks in limited time across from Crosby… As long as Wilson earns the full-time starting job as expected, he could put up some serious numbers and snag a Pro Bowl selection.
Jalen Carter
Carter was taken two picks after Wilson by Philadelphia, but this selection was considered by many to be an absolute steal. The two-time National Champion at Georgia was widely believed to be one of—if not—the most talented player in the draft, but fell due to character concerns.
That said… He landed in a great situation—with the reigning NFC Champs. The Eagles have veterans all over the depth chart and they should be able to keep the young defensive tackle on the straight and narrow if needed.
He’s also joining a unit that ranked 4th in the league last year—that though they’ve lost a couple of key contributors to free agency—should be dominant again in 2023.
Meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for Carter to wreak havoc, accumulate stats, and build his Pro Bowl resume.
Christian Gonzalez
Moving to the defensive backfield…
There are two cornerbacks that we could see follow in the footsteps of last year’s standout rookie corners, Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets and Seahawks’ stud, Tariq Woolen.
First, let’s talk about Christian Gonzalez. The former University of Oregon All-Pac 12 corner, who was taken 17th overall by the New England Patriots.
If there is one thing that Bill Belichick and the Patriots coaching staff does well—it is player development and getting the most out of their guys.
This rings particularly true in the defensive secondary, where we have seen that coaching staff continually set their players up for success.
Think about a guy like JC Jackson, the undrafted cornerback out of Maryland turned into an All Pro under the Patriots tutelage—only to turn right back into a pumpkin after he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the 2022 season.
Or someone like Malcolm Butler, who became a legend thanks to the Pats brilliant game planning.
While his performance may not be a guarantee—there is no doubt that Christian Gonzalez will be put in the best possible position to succeed next year… and he’s going to do so for a New England team that is ready for him to step right into the starting lineup.
If things go according to plan, he could easily end up in the Pro Bowl.
Joey Porter Jr.
Joey Porter Jr. the 32nd overall pick in the draft, by the Pittsburgh Steelers, finds himself in a similar scenario.
Pittsburgh is another organization that prides itself on its top-notch capacity in player development.
And beyond the elite coaching and scheming he’ll have access to—Porter will also be a beneficiary of TJ Watt and the Steelers nasty pass rush.
As long as TJ can stay healthy, it is safe to assume that he’ll create more than a couple of opportunities for the young, aggressive corner to make some plays in coverage and develop a case to be selected to the Pro Bowl.
Bryce Young
Hopping back to the offensive side of the ball… Panthers quarterback, Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the Draft—will likely be the team’s starter this year—and he has a great chance to make the Pro Bowl if he can perform with any sort of consistency.
Young won’t be facing off against as deep of competition for the selection as CJ Stroud, his AFC counterpart.
And with the NFC’s top quarterbacks likely missing the Pro Bowl for the Super Bowl, like Jalen Hurts did last year, or in favor of rest and recovery—the field is even shallower.
Don’t be shocked if we see Young pull off what Mac Jones did a couple of years ago when the AFC was a bit more shallow at QB and make the Pro Bowl as a rookie quarterback, despite the complexities of the position and the perceived learning curve.
Young’s time at Alabama and competencies as a passer should position him well for a smooth transition to the NFL—and quite possibly—a Pro Bowl appearance as a rookie!
Peter Skoronski
Last, but not least, we have one for our offensive line junkies out there. Center Peter Skoronski.
He’s gotten off to a great start down in Tennessee and has two unique factors working in his favor…
1. He is joining an offensive line that was among the worst in the NFL last year—so if he can provide a shot in the arm for the unit he’ll get a good bit of well-deserved credit for helping to turn things around.
2. He’s going to clearing the way for one of the league’s best running backs in Derrick Henry—and if King Henry goes off, as he is one to do, that will only further bolster Skoranski’s case to be named to the Pro Bowl.
Gotta pay our respects to the men in the trenches!
Which NFL rookie do you think is most likely to be a Pro Bowler in 2023? Did we miss anyone?
