Dynamic defensive star Aaron Donald and Travis Kelce, who are unstoppable, are unanimous picks Friday for the Associated Press’ s All-Pro NFL team.
Donald and Kelce took the votes of a 50-member national media group that regularly covers the league. It is the sixth All-Pro selection for Donald, who helped the Los Angeles Rams reach the top defense in the NFL, and the third for Kelce, who set records in Kansas City.
“I think the best manifestation of greatness is to make the people around you better,” Rams coach Sean McVay says of Donald. “And that’s exactly what he does, by the way he influences them every week.”
Boss quarterback Patrick Mahomes praised Kelce for the way he approaches his job.
“He pulls out his tail every day and practices every day and makes sure he’s ready for those moments,” says Mahomes. “For a guy to have so much talent, to work so hard and to be able to really learn like that every day, that’s what makes him so special on the field.”
Along with Donald and Kelce are 15 returning players and 14 newcomers. Seattle defender Bobby Wagner is also the sixth team.
“The wonderful endurance he has shown for the midfielder after all these years is close to the top,” said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Aaron Rodgers, who led Green Bay (13-3) to the top spot in the NFC, is forming his third team, as is Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Selected for the first time in the offensive qualifying positions are Derrick Henry, from Tennessee, the 2,000-yard cursor, Stefon Diggs, who led the NFL in catches and yards, and Rodgers’ favorite target, Davante Adams.
“For me, honestly, I think I’ve just found different little things that I can improve on, obviously,” says Adams. “I feel like I’m a pretty complete receiver. … It’s just fine-tuning the things I do well and just finding a way to do them even better. ”
Diggs was traded by Minnesota to Buffalo in the offseason and then had a huge impact as Bills won his first AFC East in 25 years.
“For me, it was exactly in any situation I was going to be put or chosen,” says Diggs, “I was going to hug. The first thing I always try to do is get the respect of my teammates and my coaches. and this working your (bottom), continue to grind and put that work and let the chips fall where it sits. “
The Packers and the Colts both have four All-Pros. Green Bay’s left attack, David Bakhtiari, makes the second appearance, and center Corey Linsley, the first. Indianapolis has inside linebacker DeForest Buckner and defender Darius Leonard on defense, left guard Quenton Nelson on offense and George Odum as a special team. Nelson is a three-time All-Pro, Leonard a double selection, while Buckner and Odum are doing this for the first time.
Complete the offensive: Cleveland’s right forward, Jack Conklin (second team), and Washington’s right guard, Brandon Scherff (first).
Also on defense are TJ Watt, the NFL sack leader in Pittsburgh, who is on his second All-Pro team, and the new Myles Garrett from Cleveland; San Francisco Fred Warner Foundation (first selection); defenders Xavien Howard (first) of Miami, the league’s interception leader, and Jalen Ramsey (second) of the Rams; and the fuses of Tyrann Mathieu (third) of Kansas City, Minkah Fitzpatrick of Pittsburgh and Budda Baker of Arizona, both for the second time. There was a tie between Fitzpatrick and Baker for second place.
The long snapper position is new for the All-Pro team in 2020, and Morgan Cox from Baltimore is the choice. Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson is back for the fourth time. The rest of the special teams’ positions are newcomers: Miami kicker Jason Sanders, New England striker Jake Bailey and points scorer Gunner Olszewski.
The repeaters of 2019 are Donald, Wagner, Nelson, Watt, Fitzpatrick, Mathieu and Patterson.
In total, 18 players represent AFC, which is considered the strongest conference this season and 11 for the NFC. Exactly half of the 32 clubs have an All-Pro 2020.
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AP Pro football writers Josh Dubow and Simmi Buttar and sports writers Dave Skretta, John Wawrow, Steve Megargee and Tim Booth contributed.
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