Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins, and a host of other New York Giants players will be heading to the Pro Bowl. Exactly who, though?
The National Football League will unveil the players selected to the annual Pro Bowl, the NFL’s All-Star Game, tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET. In the spirit of the announcement, let’s take a look at the players on the New York Giants who could potentially be named to the roster.Last season, only one Giant was voted to the Pro Bowl: wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Quarterback Eli Manning was also added to the team after Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger opted not to participate.
This season, the much-improved Giants sit at 10-4, which already significantly trumps last years mark of 6-10. As a result of the Giants improved team play, the individual amount of players voted to the Pro Bowl will almost certainly increase.
Here are the Giants who will most likely be voted to the Pro Bowl.
Pro Bowl locks — These guys are headed to Honolulu
Odell Beckham Jr., Wide Receiver
Surprised? Of course you aren’t. Odell Beckham Jr. is, without a doubt, the face of the franchise. In a few years, he might be the face of the entire NFL. Beckham continues to set record after record for most catches, yards, touchdowns, etc. for a players first 3 seasons, or first X-amount of games played.
This year, OBJ has 85 catches, 1,173 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Against the Cowboys and the Lions, Beckham’s big plays effectively iced each game. The LSU product has shown that he is the focal point of the Giants offense, and his efforts surely will not go unnoticed in the Pro Bowl vote.
Janoris Jenkins, Cornerback
Another obvious choice. The Giants were criticized when they inked the former St. Louis Ram to a five year, 62.5 million dollar contract in the offseason, but Jenkins certainly has not disappointed. He has drawn the oppositions best receivers all season, and has aptly shut them down. His absence was felt on Sunday against the Lions– after he went down injured, the secondary surrendered a huge completion to Golden Tate in the third quarter.
Jenkins standout performance, and the game that solidified his status as a Pro Bowler, came against Dallas in Week 14. He held Dez Bryant to one catch, and also picked off Dak Prescott, forced a Bryant fumble (seconds after surrendering his first reception of the night), and broke up a pass on fourth down that would have given the Cowboys a first down– instead, it allowed the Giants to kneel down and run out the clock.
Jenkins has been putting in shifts like that all season, and finally, he got the primetime coverage he deserved.
Landon Collins, Strong Safety
Despite the heroics of Beckham and Jenkins, if there was a one player per team limit on who should go to the Pro Bowl, my vote would go with Landon Collins. The Alabama product has turned from an inconsistent rookie who was a liability in coverage, into a front runner for Defensive Player of the Year. He’s been that good. NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling said it best:
“A liability in coverage as a rookie, Collins has emerged as perhaps the best all-around safety in the league in his second NFL season. The tone-setter of the league’s most improved defense is the only player in the NFL with at least 100 tackles, three sacks and five interceptions this season. He leads all safeties in those categories as well as in passes defensed (13).”
Collins has been incredible in run coverage, constantly stuffing the box, and racking up the second highest number of tackles among all defensive backs in the NFL. He also leads the team in interceptions, showing his improved pass coverage and ball hawking abilities.
Collins has become a near transcendent force for the Giants defense, and deserves, at the very least, his first Pro Bowl selection.
So you’re saying there’s a chance? — Not locks, but very distinct possibilities
Olivier Vernon, Defensive End
Talk about earning a contract. Not only has Janoris Jenkins lived up to his expensive offseason deal– as has defensive end Olivier Vernon, who has been the focal point of New York’s defensive line all season.
Vernon has 59 combined tackles, 8.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 7 stuffs this season, showing his versatility. He has made massive impacts both in run and pass defense. NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling had Vernon just outside the Top Ten in his Defensive Player of the Year ranking, and Bleacher Report projects that Vernon will make the Pro Bowl. While he is not necessarily a lock, it would be a notable snub if the former Dolphin wasn’t recognized for his outstanding efforts.
Jason Pierre-Paul, Defensive End
The fact that the Giants have surrendered just 13 points in the two games since Jason Pierre-Paul’s surgery might not help the defensive end’s case, but it also shouldn’t take away from how productive the South Florida product has been. JPP and Olivier Vernon, when healthy, give the Giants arguably the best pair of starting defensive ends in the NFL.
Before he went down, JPP had 53 combined tackles, 7 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 8 stuffs, and 8 passes defensed. That last statistic, in particular, is stunning– eight passes defensed! According to Sporting Charts, the only other defensive lineman to have more is Carlos Dunlap, with 15. Pierre-Paul has more passes defensed then Kam Chancellor, Adam Jones, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, and Patrick Peterson, to name a few.
He will miss the rest of the regular season, but based off his production during the first 11 weeks of the season, JPP deserves some serious Pro Bowl consideration.
Justin Pugh, Left Guard
Boy oh boy, did the Giants miss Justin Pugh. The former first rounder missed five games before returning to action against the Detroit Lions, and his impact was clearly felt: The Giants rushed for 114 yards against a strong Lions defensive unit. Conversely, Detroit could only manage 56.
Pugh’s Pro Bowl stock might take a hit due to his extended absence (and the fact that New York went 4-1 without him), but he still has a chance, and it is worth noting that he is, by far, the best and most consistent member of the Giants offensive line.