 With pro-bowl voting set to end one week from today, it's time for another edition of the offensive line pro-bowl voting guide.
AFC Tackles (3 Players) 1. Rashawn Slater - Chargers (Starter) 2. Kolton Miller - Raiders (Starter) 3. Isaiah Wynn - Patriots In the part 1 pro-bowl voting guide I had Slater and Miller as the AFC starting tackles and I'm sticking with those two three weeks later. Slater has been the best tackle in the AFC this season based on full-body of work and availability and he's just a rookie. Kolton Miller has been one of the best pass-blocking tackles in the NFL. Where it gets tough is picking the third spot. Isaiah Wynn, Orlando Brown, and Braden Smith all have good cases. Wynn's improved play since week seven has helped the Patriots run off seven wins in a row and soar to the top of the AFC standings. He's been a good run blocker all season and though his overall pass pro numbers aren't great, but since week 7, Wynn has a PA% of 3.9% and has really turned things around in that aspect. His elite play and it's impact in helping the Pats win gets him the nod for the third and final spot. Orlando Brown also has a very strong case. He was in the third spot in the last addition. His play hasn't fallen off since then, Wynn's just started playing at such a higher level. Still if Brown were to make the pro-bowl this season it would be deserving. He's been one of the best run-blocking tackles in the AFC and solid in pass pro. However, the primary job of an LT is pass protection and Brown just hasn't been consistent enough in that aspect to warrant being ahead of the three guys in front of him even with his run-blocking. Braden Smith six games since returning from injury in week 8 would be enough in my opinion to crown him the best tackle in the AFC. He's been the best run-blocking tackle in the AFC since he's returned and has a PA% of 4.1% in those six games. However, he did try to play hurt in week one and struggled which hurt his numbers a little and he's missed almost half the season. If pro-bowl voting ran through week 18 I'd bet he'd make the team, however, voting closes after week 14 and he's just missed too many games to be ahead of the other players I've mentioned. Guards (3 Players) 1. Joel Bitonio - Browns (Starter) 2. Shaq Mason - Patriots (Starter) 3. Wyatt Teller - Browns The AFC guard pro-bowl race is one of the most interesting in the league. Bitonio has been the best guard in the AFC all season and is now creeping closer to Zach Martin for best NFL guard. Shaq Mason is another Patriot who has raised his level of play since their win streak started. Mason was playing well in pass pro all season, but his run blocking really picked up at the start of the win streak. I gave the final spot to Wyatt Teller. Teller was just on the outside looking in during the last addition. He's been better in pass pro of late and has been arguably the best run-blocking guard in the AFC. Joe Thuney has a strong case and you could honestly swap him and Wyatt out if you wanted. He's been elite in pass pro this season but just decent in the run game, sort of the opposite of Teller. Teller's run blocking has been more impressive than Thuney's pass blocking so he got the nod. Andrew Norwell was on the list last time but his pass blocking hasn't been as strong in recent weeks so he's fallen down some. Kevin Zeitler has been pass blocking at an elite level of late and his name deserves mentioning. It'll probably be too late for him to catch the five I've already mentioned but it's worth mentioning that he's only allowed three pressures in his last six starts. Centers (2 Players) 1. Corey Linsley - Chargers (Starter) 2. Creed Humphrey - Chiefs No change at the center position for the AFC as far as the two selections you should make. Linsley has been the best pass-blocking center in the NFL and one of the best in run-blocking. He's allowed no sacks and only one TFL all year to go with a 1.23 PA% that ranks second among centers. Humphrey is right behind him with a PA% of 1.37 that ranks third among centers and he's been arguably better in the run game than Linsley. It's a coin flip as to who starts but both have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. No other center deserves to make the pro-bowl above those two, but the next best choices are David Andrews and J.C. Tretter. Tretter has the edge in pass pro and Andrews has the edge in run-blocking but they've both done well in both phases. NFC Tackles (3 Players) 1. Tyron Smith - Cowboys (Starter) 2. Trent Williams - 49ers (Starter) 3. Andrew Whitworth - Rams All three selections for the NFC tackle position are the same as last time and I won't waste time doing a long spill on why. However, I will say the race for the third spot has gotten closer. Tristan Wirfs is just on the outside looking in. He's played more pass snaps than any NFC tackle and has only allowed eight pressures which is why he leads all NFL tackles in PA% at 1.43%. He was very inconsistent in the run game earlier but he's been a lot better in the second half of the season in that aspect. His teammate also has a pro-bowl case. Donovan Smith is having the best season of his career and is just a tick behind Wirfs in PA% as he ranks fifth among eligible tackles. Lane Johnson has the next strongest case. He's been arguably as good as the three I selected since returning from his hiatus. However, he wasn't playing nearly at this level in his first three games before the hiatus. Combine that with the missed games due to personal reasons and it hurts his case further. Guards (3 Players) 1. Zach Martin - Cowboys (Starter) 2. Ali Marpet - Buccaneers (Starter) 3. Chris Lindstrom - Falcons It's the same three names as the last addition for the NFC guards but this time in a different order. Zach Martin is a lock to be a pro-bowl starter based on reputation and his play on the field. Marpet and Lindstrom should get the next two spots. Last time I had Lindstrom starting and Marpet as the reserve and I've swapped them in this addition because Lindstrom has allowed seven pressures in his last three starts compared to Marpet who has only allowed four. They are pretty close in evaluation when looking at their performance this season in both pass pro and run-blocking. I honestly wouldn't have a problem if either of them makes it as a starter or reserve as long as they both get in because there's a gap between those two and any other NFC guard that might deserve consideration. Centers (2 Players) 1. Jason Kelce - Eagles (Starter) 2. Alex Mack - 49ers The NFC center position has been hurt by injuries. Frank Ragnow was on pace to be the best center in the conference but went down early. In the part 1 voting guide we had Chase Roullier as the second pro-bowl center but he's now out for the season. Kelce is the starter and he deserves it. He has stood out beyond any of the other NFC centers with his run-blocking. Ideally, a pro-bowl starting center would rank better than 18th among centers in PA%, but center is the one o-line position where run blocking should be more valued than pass-blocking. Alex Mack gets the nod at the reserve spot. He's hasn't been great at anything, but he's been good in both pass pro and in the run game and has helped the 49ers o-line have a good season.
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