Unlike the NFL Power Rankings, the 2021-22 NFL All-Pro team was not a dictatorial adventure by me but a vote from seven of us at the Pro Football Network. In the end, this isn’t the Pro Bowl. The All-Pro isn’t a popularity contest. The voting was based on merit, and only a select few could make the All-Pro roster.
2021-22 NFL All-Pro Team
The NFL season has come to a close. The votes have been tallied, and the teams are set here at PFN. We’ll discuss each player on the first team, and then we’ll list members of the second team on each side of the ball. I’d love to add an honorable mentions list, but it would read like a CVS receipt and water down the acknowledgment of the best in the business.
First-Team NFL All-Pro Offense
The votes are in, and the offense is set. Honestly, nothing about the roster on offense should be too surprising.
Quarterback | Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Nothing off the field matters in regards to Aaron Rodgers. In a season where most quarterbacks had stretches of poor play, Rodgers was rock solid all season.
He made accomplishments despite losing most of his offensive line, his starting running back, and his (spoiler alert) All-Pro receiver for periods in 2021. Rodgers will walk away from 2021 with his second straight MVP award and his fourth total, putting him in second place all-time behind Peyton Manning with five.
Running Back | Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor had a monster season and was unanimously voted the first-team running back. He finished with 552 more yards than the next closest rusher and was the single-most crucial element on the Colts’ offense for a while.
Obviously, he can only do as much as the offensive line allows for, but they sometimes found better results on the ground than they did passing the ball. It took a Week 18 stinker against Jacksonville to push them from the playoffs.
Wide Receiver | Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp was another unanimous decision. There probably isn’t a better pure “football player” in the NFL. Not only did he nearly break the receiving record Calvin Johnson broke, but he also played as a 205-pound tight end or H-back in the Rams’ rushing attack.
His value to the Rams is unmatched by any other skill position player that is not a QB. The only player with an argument is our second of the first-team wide receivers.
Wide Receiver | Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
While Kupp is probably the best football player in the NFL, Davante Adams is perhaps the best pure receiver in the league. Adams commanded 10+ targets in eight of the 16 games he played and finished the season with 123 receptions for 1,553 yards.
His 84 first downs were also second to Kupp. Adams’ release repertoire is unmatched, and the speed he plays at and through his breaks creates separation at will. But he’s also great in contested situations.
Flex | Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
There shouldn’t be any excuse for Deebo Samuel not touching the ball 15+ times a game. He led the league in yards per catch at 18.2, but 10 of those yards on every catch came after the ball was already in his hands. That’s disgusting.
Samuel finished the year with 77 catches for 1,405 yards and 6 TDs through the air. He carried it 59 times for 365 yards on the ground (6.2 yards per carry) with 8 rushing touchdowns.
When you’re affectionately given the name “Deebo,” it’s a bit of a Boy Named Sue situation. We can thank Tommy Lister Jr. for that! Deebo has to be tough, and that’s on full display any time a defensive back tries to tackle him above the waist.
Tight End | Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Mark Andrews was the only tight end that made sense for the first-team NFL All-Pro team here. George Kittle missed three games, and Samuel stole many of his targets when healthy. Darren Waller could have won it but missed six games, and Travis Kelce played 16 games but couldn’t match Andrews’ production.
Kyle Pitts will find his way here eventually, but there were times Andrews was the entire Ravens passing attack. He’s been a constant for three seasons now. It was evident quickly that he was the more talented of the duo Baltimore drafted that season.
Andrews finished 2021 with 1,361 yards on 107 catches and scored 9 TDs along the way. Drops were an issue early in his career, but he was incredibly consistent this season, owning a 1.9% drop rate.
Left Tackle | Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers
Trent Williams was possibly the most dominant force in the NFL this year. Rashawn Slater received a vote, but the other six voters all believed Williams was the best of the bunch for 2021.
The 49ers’ left tackle was a physical freak coming out of Oklahoma, and he’s turned that athleticism and raw power into technical refinement on top of retaining that athletic ability. He’s a wizard in pass protection and a turbocharged rolling cinderblock wall when he’s blocking in space.
Left Guard | Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs
Joe Thuney hasn’t just played as an All-Pro left guard. No, Thuney has played like an All-Pro despite playing most of the season with a broken hand.
In the Chiefs’ Week 17 loss against the Bengals, he moved outside to left tackle after Lucas Niang suffered a season-ending injury. The interior of that Chiefs’ offensive line is solid. Thuney is athletic and technically refined on the inside, and he’ll undoubtedly help Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith on their journey toward becoming the best version of themselves.
Center | Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs
It’s not often we see an NFL rookie make the All-Pro team. It’s even rarer to see a second-round pick voted as an All-Pro. However, it turns out the center with outstanding film tested as the best athlete at the position is good at the whole blocking thing. Who woulda thunk it?
Only nearly every single amateur draft analyst on Twitter. Humphrey was always going to be great. Lining him alongside another All-Pro and Trey Smith, who would have been a first or second-round pick had it not been for health concerns, helped.
Humphrey allowed 1 sack all season, and he only allowed 10 total pressures all season. His run blocking was better as a pro than in college, and his positional leveraging was exquisite all season.
Right Guard | Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
Another year, another All-Pro acknowledgment at right guard. Ho-hum. Zack Martin looks bored in his professional team photo. I assume in his off time he studies astrophysics or something because football is obviously not hard enough for him.
The only year Martin missed out on an All-Pro nod was in 2020, when an injury sidelined him for six games. He has four first-team nods and two second-team nods in his previous seven seasons. He’s been one of the best players in the league over the past decade. Although there are a few signs of his slowing down, he’s still as close to perfect as they come for the position.
Right Tackle | Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Like Williams at left tackle, Tristan Wirfs was an athletic freak from a pipeline school for blockers at Iowa. In his second season, Wirfs allowed just 2 sacks and 14 total pressures on the outside blocking for Tom Brady.
He didn’t allow a single pressure for a four-game stretch after the Bucs’ bye week. The young, athletic, wide-bodied right tackle was a proverbial brick wall of pass protection. And he’s only turning 23 later in January.