The first wave of Pro Bowl voting has been announced, and three Pittsburgh Steelers are leading the AFC at their positions: OLB T.J. Watt, P Pressley Harvin III, and KR/PR Ray-Ray McCloud.
The NFL released the first results Wednesday morning, with Indianapolis Colts’ RB Jonathan Taylor receiving the most votes of any player.
Watt fell just shy of the top five in vote-getters with 74,208. Despite injuries that have caused him to miss 2.5 games, he’s on pace to have a record season. His 12.5 sacks this season are just shy of his career high of 15, and he’s on pace to finish the year with 21.5 sacks, easily a franchise record and closing in on the NFL single-season mark. Watt’s made an impact in all aspects of the game with 13 TFLs, three forced fumbles, four pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries.
Harvin’s play has improved in recent weeks after struggling with consistency for much of the season. On the year, he is averaging 44.4 yards per punt with a long of 63 and a net punting average of 39.2 yards. None of his numbers are anywhere close to being at the top of his position, so there’s a heavy Steelers’ fan voting influence at play. Harvin has received over 31,000 votes.
McCloud has had a solid though unspectacular season as the Steelers’ starting kick and punt returner, bringing rare continuity to the position. He ranks top ten in kick and punt return average. On kicks, he’s averaging exactly 24 yards per runback, ninth in the league, while he ranks seventh in punt return average at 8.8. McCloud has received a little under 30,000 votes.
Pro Bowl voting will continue through December 16th. To vote, click the link here and cast your ballot. Pro Bowl rosters will be announced Monday, December 20th with the 2022 Pro Bowl held on February 6th in Las Vegas.
