3 Detroit Lions who deserve to make the Pro Bowl

Ahead of the final Pro Bowl voting being announced Wednesday night, these three Detroit Lions haved earned a trip to Las Vegas.

The NFL Pro Bowl will look different this year, and refreshingly so. Instead of an attempt to play a real football game no player really wants to play in, there will be skills competitions and a flag football game with Peyton and Eli Manning as the head coaches of the teams.

But it’s still going to be an honor to be selected for the Pro Bowl, to say nothing of potential contract bonuses some guys have for getting the honor. One-third of the voting equation is already out, and Lions rookie safety Kerby Joseph was No.1 among NFC free safeties in fan voting.

Player and coaches’ voting are the final two-thirds, and NFL Network is airing the final results at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.

The Lions are getting more attention around the league than they’ve had in years, thanks to winning six of their last seven games and being in the NFC Wild Card race. So it’s harder to ignore or dismiss what individual players are doing, since these don’t look like the “Same Old Lions.” (Time will tell if “Brand New Lions” becomes a thing).

There will be Pro Bowl snubs, just like any time an All-Star team is named in any sport. But these three Detroit Lions deserve to be on the NFC Pro Bowl squad this year.

3 Detroit Lions who deserve a selection to the 2023 Pro Bowl

3. LT Taylor Decker

Decker is the longest-tenured Lion, now in his seventh season. He has been a mainstay at left tackle, but lately he may be playing as well as he ever has.

Via Vito Chirco of SI.com:

"since Week 9, Decker has been the ninth-best offensive tackle in the NFL, per PFF. He’s earned a PFF grade of 79.8 during the aforementioned period of time."

Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been sacked 19 times all season, tied for the fewest sacks allowed in the league with the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Goff has not been sacked since the first half of the Week 13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, a span of 10 quarters. That sack total is the fourth-lowest in Lions’ franchise history through 14 games.

Given how much he struggles when under pressure, keeping rushers away from Goff is an absolutely critical element to the success of the Lions’ offense. All five offensive lineman deserve their portion of credit for keeping Goff as clean as he has been kept. But it’s time Decker got recognition for a career spent in the background manning the blindside, amid a lot of losing.

2. C Frank Ragnow

Ragnow missed a big chunk of last season with a toe injury, and he has been dealing with a new injury to the same toe for virtually this whole season after it happened in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. He missed Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, but otherwise he has played every snap of the other 13 games this season and done so at a high level.

Back in November, via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News, Ragnow talked about how much time he spends in the training room and how friendly he is with the Lions’ medical staff.

"Oh yeah, I freaking live in that place,” he said. “We’re all best friends in there, unfortunately.”"

Former NFL general manager Scott Pioli praised Ragnow during and after last Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Ordinarily, someone with an injury like Ragnow has would bow out of the Pro Bowl if they were selected and an alternate would take his place. But the lightness of the event this year means he can probably just snap the ball in the flag football game, and/or likely do whatever competition there might be for lineman after a few weeks rest.  And yes, I’m calling it “a few weeks rest” and exposing myself to the vitriol of Lions’ fans.

The Lions aren’t going to be in the Super Bowl, which would mean no Pro Bowl for any selected players, and they won’t be favored to win a playoff game if they get a Wild Card spot. So Ragnow will have some time to get right before Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.

1. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

If St. Brown hadn’t missed one whole game and a big chunk of another due to an ankle injury (21 snaps), and taken off the field with a non-concussion head injury due to heightened league protocols in another game (10 snaps played), he would most definitely have over 100 catches already this season.

As it is the Lions’ second-year slot receiver has 89 receptions (sixth in the league) for 974 yards (10th in the league) and six touchdowns, surpassing his rookie season totals in the latter two categories (912 and five respectively).

Two catches in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers will put St. Brown past his catch total from last year. The 26 yards he needs to become the youngest receiver in Lions’ history to have a 1,000-yard season feels like a foregone conclusion on Saturday too.

There aren’t many NFC wide receivers more deserving of a Pro Bowl nod than St. Brown is. If he doesn’t make it he’ll be at or near the top of a lot of snubs lists, and if somehow only one Lion gets selected (Ragnow would be a definite snub) it should be the “Sun God.”