Every year, new names break through and achieve new heights.
This season, there’s a host of NFL players on the cusp of making their first All-Pro teams. Some are obvious. Some might surprise.
In the case of someone such as Joe Burrow, the biggest question is health. For others such as Jalen Carter or Marshon Lattimore, it’s doing enough to beat out incredibly stiff competition.
But which guys can get the job done, and earn their first All-Pro nod? We take a look, with a reminder that if a player has been named to a first or second team in the past, they’re ineligible for this exercise.
Let’s get to the list.
Quarterback: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Surprised Burrow hasn’t been an All-Pro? Injuries have been the main reason, cutting short multiple years of his young career. Surrounded by an excellent pair of receivers and an upgraded offensive line, Burrow could finally ascend to All-Pro status in 2024.
Running back: James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Cook was heavily relied upon once Joe Brady took over at midseason as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator. Now that Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone, expect Cook to see even more touches as the Bills move to a more ground-and-pound style of football.
Fullback: C.J. Ham, Minnesota Vikings
Ham has been one of the better fullbacks since coming into the league in 2017. As importantly, he’s only missed two games. The Vikings will use him plenty, evidenced by his 19% of offensive snaps in 2023, which helped him become a Pro Bowler for the second time.
Wide receivers: Nico Collins, Houston Texans; DJ Moore, Chicago Bears; Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Collins burst onto the scene in Houston last year, with 80 receptions and 1,297 receiving yards in his first season playing alongside quarterback C.J. Stroud. In Chicago, Moore gets an upgrade at quarterback with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Factor in the additions of receivers Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, and it’ll be nearly impossible to double-cover Moore in 2024.
Finally, if Aiyuk remains in San Francisco, he’s also going to see nothing but single coverage despite his robust skills. Look for him to dominate in a contract year.
TIght end: Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
LaPorta could very well be the best tight end in the league this season. Already an elite player, he’s surging as one of the young guns looking to replace the old guard of Travisk Kelce and George Kittle. As a rookie, LaPorta had 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 scores.
Left tackle: Jordan Mailata, Philadelphia Eagles
While center Jason Kelce’s retirement leaves Philadelphia with questions up front, the Eagles don’t have problems on the edges. With Lane Johnson on the right side and Mailata holding down Jalen Hurts’s blindside, the line remains one of the league’s best. Mailata has long been underrated, starting 57 games over the past four years.
Left guard: Kevin Zeitler, Detroit Lions
Who says you can’t get better with age? Zeitler might be entering his age-34 season, but he is coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign after starring with the Baltimore Ravens. Now on another one of the NFL’s best teams, he’ll have plenty of exposure while playing alongside left tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow.
Center: Steve Avila, Los Angeles Rams
Avila was fantastic as a rookie left guard last season. However, he’s now kicking inside after the offseason signing of Jonah Jackson. While the competition at center is fierce with Ragnow and Creed Humphrey, Avila has a chance to earn the nod provided he continues to ascend.
Right guard: Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Smith enters a contract year, and has been regarded as one of the NFL’s better young guards throughout his first three seasons. Playing in front of Patrick Mahomes for the two-time defending champs, Smith has proven a tough, durable blocker with a mean streak.
Right tackle: Braden Smith, Indianapolis Colts
Smith has yet to earn Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades, largely because he hasn’t been able to consistently stay healthy. Consider this a bet on him doing just that in 2024. Indianapolis has a quality line, and the tackle combination of Bernhard Raimann and Smith is a big reason why.
Edge rushers: Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers; Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants
Gary has yet to notch 10 sacks in a season, but he’s a relentless pass rusher who has gotten at least nine sacks twice. If he stays healthy and converts a few quarterback hits into sacks, he’ll be in the conversation. Thiboeaux came out of Oregon considered the best player in the 2022 draft by some, and he’s shown why. Last season, he had 11.5 sacks.
Defensive ends: Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions; Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
After posting 21 sacks across his first two seasons, Hutchinson is close to being recognized as one of the league’s best. That’s a mantle Hendrickson should have earned a long time ago, having totaled 39.5 sacks across three years with the Bengals, earning Pro Bowl status each season but no All-Pro accolades.
Defensive tackles: Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles; Alim McNeill, Detroit Lions
As a rookie, Carter destroyed interior offensive lines across the league, notching six sacks and nine quarterback hits while being voted second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. As for McNeill, he’s become one of the league’s most disruptive inside forces, with five sacks and six tackles for loss in 2023.
Linebackers: Frankie Luvu, Washington Commanders; Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns; T.J. Edwards, Chicago Bears
Luvu was quietly excellent throughout his rookie deal, while Owusu-Koramoah is a phenomenal athlete at the second level. Edwards might have signed as a secondary thought compared to Tremaine Edmunds last offseason, but he’s become dominant in his new home with the Bears.
Cornerbacks: Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Lattimore has been a Pro Bowler four times, but has yet to earn All-Pro status. That could change this year in New Orleans, as he’s surrounded by a defense featuring Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, Carl Granderson, Cam Jordan and others. In Seattle, Witherspoon also earned Pro Bowl honors as a first-year star, finishing fourth in DROY voting.
Slot cornerback: Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts
Moore has been one of the more productive, quality slot corners for the better part of a decade. Entering his eighth season, all with the Colts, Moore has been a Pro Bowler once but is still looking for the ultimate individual accolade. If he continues playing at a high level entering his age-29 campaign, this could be his year.
Safeties: Jaquan Brisker, Chicago Bears; Josh Metellus, Minnesota Vikings
Brisker hasn’t garnered national attention over his first two seasons in Chicago largely because the Bears have been terrible. Yet, the former Penn State star is one of the league’s best on the back end, showing his versatility with eight tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and five sacks. Speaking of versatility, Metellus became a star in coordinator Brian Flores’s defense with 116 tackles, 10 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles in 2023.
Kicker: Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
Butker might end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet, because he shares a conference and an era with Justin Tucker of the Ravens, he’s yet to make an All-Pro or Pro Bowl roster. A three-time champion with some of the biggest kicks in NFL history, it’s only a matter of time before he finally breaks through.
Punter: Andrew Gillikin, Arizona Cardinals
Gillikin isn’t known nationally having languished in obscurity with the four-win Cardinals last season, but he was one of the league’s best punters. He had a 50.6-yard average, along with a net of 42.9 last season. While Arizona hopes to punt less this year, Gillikin can bail them out when called upon.
Kick returner: Xavier Gipson, New York Jets
As a rookie, Gipson could be electrifying with the ball. Gipson had 22 returns for 511 yards, while also adding a game-winning punt return touchdown in Week 1 over the Bills. The big coaching point for Gipson is cutting down on his five fumbles.
Punt returner: Britain Covey, Philadelphia Eagles
Covey was a bright spot in a disappointing year for the Eagles. The second-year receiver returned 29 punts for a league-best 417 yards, helping put Philadelphia in good field position time and again. Don’t be surprised if he garners recognition for his work this time around.
Special teamer: Neville Hewitt, Houston Texans
Hewitt has bounced around some in his career, playing for the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Texans. However, he’s been one of the best special teams tacklers in the game for some time, evidenced by tying for the most last season with 14. In 2023, Hewitt played 84% of the special teams snaps.
Long snapper: James Winchester, Kansas City Chiefs
Incredibly, Winchester is the longest-tenured Chiefs player on the roster this side of Travis Kelce. He’s been around since 2015, joining the club as an undrafted free agent. Since then, he’s gone unchallenged in his position, and has been a major part of Kansas City’s dynastic run.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Predicting the 2024 NFL First-Time All-Pros.
