Captain Cris Carter will have John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff on his side, striving to defeat Team Irvin in the 2015 Pro Bowl. The contest will take place Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. and be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Carter, a Hall of Fame receiver who played mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, loaded up with a bevy of talent in hopes of beating Irvin, who won three Super Bowls as a player with the Dallas Cowboys.
Offense
Quarterbacks
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Breakdown: Luck was a no-brainer for Carter. The 2012 first-overall pick has been lighting up the league from day one, making the playoffs all three seasons in Indianapolis. Brees had another prolific year in New Orleans, tying Ben Roethlisberger for the passing crown. Dalton is one of the more curious picks in Pro Bowl history, chosen as an alternate.
Running backs
Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens
Alfred Morris, Washington
Breakdown: Charles is one of, if not, the best backs in the NFL. The Kansas City star can run, catch and block with a gift of top-end speed. Forsett came out of nowhere to earn a Pro Bowl berth this season, rushing for 1,266 yards. Morris has been steady for Washington, gaining over 1,000 yards in each of his three years.
Wide receivers
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
Breakdown: Brown is the best receiver in the NFL right now, leading the league in both catches and yardage with 129 and 1,698, respectively. Nelson and Hilton finished fourth and sixth in receiving yards, while Green checked in with 1,041.
Tight ends
Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears
Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
Breakdown: Bennett had a slow start to his career, bouncing from the Cowboys to the Giants before finding a home in Chicago. Bennett had a nice season with the Bears again, hauling in 90 passes for 916 yards. Olsen continues to be productive in Carolina, notching 1,008 yards. His yardage was second for tight ends to Rob Gronkowski.
Offensive tackles
Joe Staley, San Francisco 49ers
Ryan Clady, Denver Broncos
Breakdown: Staley and Brown are two of the more underrated players in football. Brown has been a stalwart on Houston's line since being drafted in 2008, making the Pro Bowl each of the past three years. Clady is a nice comeback story, after his 2013 season ended in September with a foot injury.
Offensive guards
Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers
Breakdown: Pouncey really earned his trip in 2014, having to move from center to guard due to a plethora of injuries along the Dolphins line. Mathis is back for a second straight year, while Sitton continues to bolster his candidacy as the best guard in the game.
Centers
Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles
Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steeelrs
Breakdown: Kelce and Pouncey are two of the more high-profile centers in football, mostly because both got paid handsomely. Kelce received a six-year, $37.5 million extension this year while Pouncey reeled in five years and $44 million.
Fullback
John Kuhn, Green Bay Packers
Breakdown: Kuhn gets overlooked so often on the Packers because of the talent around him. Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy and the duo of Randall Cobb and Nelson garner the headlines, but Kuhn is the plowhorse in the backfield. For Kuhn, this is his second Pro Bowl.
Defense
Defensive tackles
Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals
Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams
Sheldon Richardson , New York Jets
Breakdown: Donald is the gem of this group. The first-round rookie out of Pittsburgh has shown incredible ability in his first year, flashing with quickness and power. Atkins is in the contest on name-recognition alone. He was called out in a big way by his defensive coordinator in Cincinnati for such poor play all season.
Defensive ends
J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals
Breakdown: Watt is the best defensive player in the NFL right now. Typically, 3-4 ends are not major stat guys, but Watt amassed 20.5 sacks in 2014, second only to Pro-Bowl teammate Justin Houston. Williams and Campbell combined for 21.5 sacks, giving Carter plenty of options here.
Oustside linebackers
Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs
Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs
Connor Barwin, Philadelphia Eagles
Breakdown: Houston put together one of the great seasons in NFL history, totaling 22 sacks for the Chiefs. Carter drafted Houston's partner in Hali, one of the best pass-rushers over the past five seasons. The duo should cause plenty of havoc alongside Barwin, who came up with 14.5 sacks.
Inside linebackers
C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens
Lawrence Timmons, Pittsburgh Steelers
Breakdown: Mosley turned out to be a terrific draft pick for Baltimore in 2014, making the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Mosley was a force at Alabama and it translated to the highest level, notching 133 tackles and three sacks. Timmons has been a good player for years and finally made his first Pro Bowl in his eighth campaign.
Cornerbacks
Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals
Antonio Cromartie , Arizona Cardinals
Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos
Sam Shields, Green Bay Packers
Breakdown: Peterson and Cromartie could be the league's top duo at corner. Cromartie played terrific football under Todd Bowles, and now becomes a free agent while Bowles moved to Cromartie's former team, the Jets. Reunion? Talib signed a $57 million deal this offseason, and rewarded Denver with a Pro Bowl year. Shields is an undrafted free agent who made good, earning his first Pro Bowl.
Safeties
Antoine Bethea, San Francisco 49ers
Glover Quin, Detroit Lions
Donte Whitner, Cleveland Browns
Breakdown: Bethea came over to the 49ers in hopes of replacing Whitner, and did so fantastically. However, the guy he replaced also had a terrific season in Cleveland and now becomes his teammate. Quin signed with the Lions after spending years in Houston, and turned the proverbial corner.
Special teams
Kicker
Cody Parkey, Philadelphia Eagles
Breakdown: Parkey was brought in as an undrafted free-agent by the Colts this offseason before he was cut. The Eagles picked him up and it paid off handsomely. Parkey hit 32-of-36 field goals.
Punter
Pat McAfee, Indianapolis Colts
Breakdown: McAfee is known for his quirky personality, and now adds some resume-builders. McAfee is not only a Pro Bowler but a first-team All Pro selection for the first time in his career.
Returner
Breakdown: The Bears allowed Hester to walk away after 2013, thinking he was done. The Falcons signed Hester to a three-year deal and the 32-year-old delivered. Hester also made history, scoring a record-setting 20th return touchdown against the Buccaneers.
Long snapper
Jon Dorenbos , Philadelphia Eagles
Special teamer
Justin Bethel, Arizona Cardinals
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