POLL: How many Pro Bowlers will the Lions have in 2022?

Last year, the Detroit Lions only had one Pro Bowler. We predict how many the Lions will have in 2022.

People like to say that the NFL Pro Bowl is a joke. They aren’t entirely wrong, either. The league has been searching for ways to make the game entertaining for years. Additionally, because one-third of the vote is decided by fan voting, there are serious questions about the legitimacy of the results. Also, with the amount of players who opt out due to injury or being in the Super Bowl, oftentimes someone gets into the Pro Bowl despite not being in the top five at their position.

Regardless, Pro Bowls have a real impact on the game. Fifth-year option costs are impacted by the amount of Pro Bowls the player on the rookie contract has made. Additionally, a lot of bonuses in contracts are tied to Pro Bowl appearances.

You may not like it, but Pro Bowls matter. They may be flawed in many ways, but it is a very basic way to evaluate the best of the best in the league.

The Detroit Lions haven’t seen many Pro Bowls in recent years. Jack Fox, T.J. Hockenson, and Frank Ragnow made it in 2020. Just Jonah Jackson made it last year.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

How many Lions players will make the Pro Bowl in 2022?

My answer: First, let’s look at all of the Pro Bowls of players on the current roster:

• Jared Goff: 2 (2017, 2018)
• T.J. Hockenson: 1 (2020)
• DJ Chark: 1 (2019)
• Jonah Jackson: 1 (2021)
• Frank Ragnow: 1 (2020)
• Jack Fox: 1 (2020)

That’s not a lot of players who have made Pro Bowls, and it would be surprising if a couple of those players made it back this year (Goff, Chark). The remaining four are certainly candidates to make it again, especially Frank Ragnow, who is widely considered a top-three center when healthy.

But there are also a fair amount of Lions players who could make a run for their first-ever Pro Bowl. Penei Sewell finished the season strong and is expected to only be better this year. If Aidan Hutchinson makes a big splash early, he certainly has enough talent and national recognition to land in the Pro Bowl. Meanwhile, Taylor Decker has been on the verge of Pro Bowl level for several years, and players like Jeff Okudah or Jameson Williams are breakout candidates who will have to overcome injury.

In total, I’m going to give the Lions three Pro Bowlers for the 2022 season: Ragnow, Hockenson, and Sewell.

Your turn.