Oakland Raiders pass rusher Khalil Mack has been named to the AP All-Pro first team at two different positions, making NFL history. In the past, players have been named to the first team at one position and the second team at another, but Mack made the first team at both outside linebacker and defensive end for his strong play in 2015.
Khalil Mack is the 1st player to be a 1st-team All-Pro at 2 positions
Mack made the first team at two different positions, while both J.J. Watt and Adrian Peterson were unanimous selections.
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Mack is making his first All-Pro appearance, and was also named to the Pro Bowl this season. He finished the regular season with 15 sacks, two forced fumbles, two passes defended and 77 tackles. He has been instrumental in making the Raiders a competitive team, though they fell short of a playoff berth this season.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, the NFL sack leader this year, was a unanimous pick for the first team. He has been a first team All-Pro at one spot and a second team at another in the past. Watt led the league with 17.5 sacks and joined Reggie White as the only two players to have three 15 sack seasons in their first five years.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was also a unanimous selection to the All-Pro first team.
The Carolina Panthers had an NFL-best six All-Pro players in quarterback Cam Newton, fullback Mike Tolbert, center Ryan Kalil, cornerback Josh Norman and linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown drew 49 votes, one shy of a unanimous selection. The New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams all had two All-Pro selections apiece.
Rookie kick returner Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks also made the selection, the only first-year player to do so. San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman and Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry both made the roster, an impressive feat given the adversity the two had to overcome. Bowman missed the entire 2014 season with a knee injury while Berry missed most of the year with lymphoma. The two are definite comeback player of the year candidates.
The full roster can be found below:
Offense
QB: Cam Newton, Panthers
RB: Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Doug Martin, Buccaneers
FB: Mike Tolbert, Panthers
WR: Antonio Brown, Steelers; Julio Jones, Falcons
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
T: Andrew Whitworth, Bengals; Joe Thomas, Browns
G: David DeCastro, Steelers; Marshal Yanda, Ravens
C: Ryan Kalil, Panthers
Defense
DE: J.J. Watt, Texans; Khalil Mack, Raiders
DT: Aaron Donald, Rams; Geno Atkins, Bengals
LB: Thomas Davis, Panthers; Luke Kuechly, Panthers; Khalil Mack, Raiders; Von Miller, Broncos; NaVorro Bowman,
49ers
CB: Josh Norman, Panthers; Patrick Peterson, Cardinals
S: Tyrann Mathieu, Cardinals; Eric Berry, Chiefs
Special Teams
K: Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
P: Johnny Hekker, Rams
KR: Tyler Lockett, Seahawks
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