Every season the Pittsburgh Steelers are well represented at the Pro Bowl. Last season, running back James Conner and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster made their first and look like they will be regular participants. But who are the guys are the roster who have never been who will take the next step?
Here are our four picks for first-time Pro Bowls.
TE Vance McDonald
If there’s any player on the team poised for a statistical breakout it’s McDonald. He caught 50 passes last season while watching two wide receivers haul in more than 100 apiece. With one of those gone, there should be ample more targets to go around.
LB Devin Bush
The last time a Steelers’ inside linebacker made the Pro Bowl was Lawrence Timmons back in 2014. Timmons was also the last Pittsburgh defender to top 100 tackles in a season. Bush might only be a rookie but he has a chance to come in and immediately be one of the top defenders on the team.
G Ramon Foster
After 10 seasons in the league, it is time for the league to recognize the player Foster is. Guys like Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro steal all the headlines but Foster is grossly underrated. It would great to see Foster in year 11 finally get the recognition he deserves.
DT Javon Hargrave
The only thing Hargrave needs to be considered among the elite interior defensive linemen in the league is an opportunity. Hargrave finished third on the team with 6.5 sacks despite only playing 43.5 percent of the defensive snaps. There’s a lot of talk about the top pass-rushing interior linemen in the league but Hargrave never gets mentioned among them.
