As one of the 50 Associated Press All-Pro voters, the two easiest selections were Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. Apparently, 49 other people felt the same way because those were the two unanimous selections to this year's first-team, which was released today.
I also thought Steelers receiver Antonio Brown was a no-brainer. He got 49 votes.
Meanwhile, Vikings kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson was named second-team All-Pro two years after earning first-team honors as a rookie. In two of his three seasons, Patterson has had two touchdowns and led the league in kick return average. This year, his two scores came with a 31.8-yard average.
The 15-1 Panthers led the way with six first-team All-Pro picks, including quarterback Cam Newton, the leading candidate to win MVP when the major individual awards are announced the night before the Super Bowl.
New England, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Arizona and St. Louis were second behind Carolina with two All-Pro picks apiece.
Meanwhile, as clear as Peterson and Watt were at their positions, there was an equal amount of uncertainty over where to put Raiders defender Khalil Mack. But, in the end, he was so good that he made the first team at two positions: outside linebacker and defensive end.
Mack's started games at both spots and his unique skill set enable him to be used in both roles as the Raiders used a variety of 4-3 and 3-4 looks. I voted for Mack as a defensive end. He played that role primarily against the Vikings and made the Pro Bowl team as an end.
I felt in November that the Vikings had two or three defenders trending toward All-Pro consideration. Linval Joseph definitely was the best nose tackle in the league and Anthony Barr was making splash plays as coach Mike Zimmer's most versatile weapon. Safety Harrison Smith also, I thought, was playing to a level that would have gotten consideration.
