The first Pro Bowl voting results have officially been released by the NFL.
As expected, the San Francisco 49ers didn’t have nearly as many as last year. However, there are still three 49ers leading Pro Bowl votes at their position in the NFC. Two of them are the most obvious. George Kittle is the top vote-getter for tight ends, while Kyle Juszczyk is the top vote-getter for fullbacks.
Kittle has been an absolute monster this season and is easily the best player on the 49ers. He’s tallied 60 catches for 861 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games this season. Not to mention the excellent job he does as a blocker, it’s a no-brainer for why he’s the top vote-getter at tight end.
The same can be said of Juszczyk who is also a no-brainer, but he’s strictly a default. The fullback position isn’t used by the vast majority of teams in the NFL. There are probably only five other offenses who use it closely as frequently as the 49ers and that’s being generous. So, of course, Juszczyk will make it.
The surprise player who is joining Kittle and Juszczyk is Nick Bosa. He leads all defensive ends in the NFC with the most Pro Bowl votes. He really shouldn’t be on there, but it goes to show again that the Pro Bowl is a popularity contest. Bosa isn’t having a bad season at all.
He just hasn’t been the super dominant figure that we’re accustomed to seeing from him. He’s also only played in 11 games with a handful of them being nonexistent performances. Bosa isn’t having the significant impact he should be generating, especially for what the 49ers are paying.
Another reason Bosa is leading in votes is the lack of competition. Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons (10 sacks, 38 hurries) has better stats than Bosa but has been out of the spotlight. New Orleans Saints’ Carl Granderson has the stats, too (eight sacks, 41 hurries) but plays on a putrid team. Even Minnesota Vikings’ Jonathan Greenard (nine sacks, 45 hurries) is doing solid but isn’t a popular name.
The Pro Bowl never fails to be a popularity contest. Luckily the votes aren’t the exclusive way players can get into the players. It only counts for a third of it all, so Bosa might not even make it in. Either way, he never participates in it so it’s moot. The 49ers will have at least Kittle and Juszczyk as the locks to be named to the Pro Bowl.
