NFL: 25 Most Surprising Pro Bowl Picks This Century

NFL: 25 Most Surprising Pro Bowl Picks This Century: 2. 2017 Mike Tolbert

Mike Tolbert had a strange career for the Carolina Panthers. He turned some interesting results into a ton of money. The Panthers paid Tolbert a ton to be their fullback. He was probably more of a running back, but they called him a fullback, and that led to him making the Pro Bowl multiple times.

2016 was the most egregious of his three Pro Bowl appearances. He had 116 yards rushing. He didn’t even have as much as most starting running backs get in a game, yet he made the Pro Bowl. He had one touchdown on the season, and it didn’t even come rushing the ball. A great fullback is supposed to pound the ball into the endzone with ease. Tolbert was no longer able to do that.

Voters just had no idea who to vote for at the fullback position in 2016. Maybe there wasn’t a better fullback to vote for. That’s hard to believe, but maybe that’s how they felt. Then eliminate the position. Mark Ingram broke 1,000 yards, but he wasn’t allowed to go to the Pro Bowl despite a breakout year for the New Orleans Saints. Yet, Tolbert is there again.

The NFL should just pick the best players to go to the Pro Bowl. This position-specific choice is just strange. The position has a lot of strange names. At least we’ve heard of Mike Tolbert, but his career wasn’t exactly legendary. Yet, he’s a three-time Pro Bowler.