Marcus Mariota and Kwon Alexander headline list of future Pro Bowlers

Every year there are an influx of rookies who dominate the headlines in the NFL. This year, there were quite a few who made significant contributions, and some of them — Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys and Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs — managed to make the Pro Bowl.

But several more were left off, for various reasons. Some rookies and other young players in their second or third years showed a lot on the field, enough to put them in Pro Bowl consideration. Even if they didn’t make the roster this season, they seem likely to be Pro Bowl-bound at some point in their careers.

We’re going to take a look at a handful of them below, from rookies to players who are starting to make a difference a couple years into their NFL careers. Smart money is on seeing all, if not most, of these guys in the Pro Bowl at some point in the future.

Alexander, who was a fourth-round pick out of LSU, is in his second season with the Bucs. He was good as a rookie, but he’s been even better as a sophomore. His production has been out of this word, with 125 total tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception, and four passes deflected this season.

He’s probably the one player on this list who could be considered a snub for the Pro Bowl this year. Getting in as a linebacker is tough given how many tackling machines there are in the league. But Alexander, who was labeled as undersized coming into the league, has been anything but since finding his way onto the field.

Mariota, the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, had a rookie season that was a mixed bag. But he’s been much better this year and actually has positioned the Titans as a team that can compete, at least within the confines of the AFC South.

Mariota has completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 3,327 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He has also mostly fixed his fumbling problem, as he had eight of those as a rookie but just two this season. He looks like the franchise quarterback the Titans wanted when they drafted him.

Have you even heard of Hunter? The third-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings is also in his second year, and he’s played out of his mind all season. Hunter already looks like a premier pass rusher in the league, and has 10.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the season. He’s returned a fumble for a touchdown and also has a safety this season on top of it. Hunter is someone to pay attention to.

OT Jack Conklin, Tennessee Titans

Conklin didn’t get as much attention as fellow tackles Laremy Tunsil and Ronnie Stanley during the pre-draft process, but he’s been incredible since the Titans chose him to protect Mariota. Conklin is an alternate after being a dominant force on the right side of the line. Right tackles continue to be overlooked, but they really need to start fixing that in the Pro Bowl. The quality of defensive ends and pass rushers on both sides of lines have only increased in the NFL, and right tackles need to get their recognition, too.

There are other young tackles around the league, most notably Taylor Decker of the Detroit Lions, who have also looked dominant this season and should make a Pro Bowl at some point.

We’re looping in a lot of running backs here because the league is flush with young talent at the position. The biggest one on this list is the only rookie: Jordan Howard of the Chicago Bears. The Bears are bad, but Howard isn’t, and his 5.0 per carry average is the best among this group and matches Elliott’s on the season. He’s rightly overshadowed by Elliott, but Howard has 1,059 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, and is no slouch in the passing game.

Ajayi is a breakout player for the Miami Dolphins. He’s put up 1,007 yards at 4.8 yards per carry and looks like the future of the Miami running back position. The same goes for Gordon and the San Diego Chargers. Gordon had a rough rookie year, but in his second he’s rushed for 997 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus another 419 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

It seems like wide receivers who catch passes for Drew Brees often get overshadowed. Yes, Brees has shown a history of working with little — he will get his yards, regardless — but that shouldn’t diminish what Cooks has been able to do this season. Cooks is the leading receiver on a Saints team that has the most passing yards (4,439) and touchdowns (35) in the NFL. He’s caught 70 passes for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Rookie teammate Michael Thomas is also someone to watch, as he has 883 yards and eight touchdowns, second on the team.

Bosa and the Chargers engaged in a silly contract dispute before, and injuries also delayed his debut, but when Bosa is playing, he’s an influential player. In 10 games this season, he has 31 tackles, a forced fumble and 7.5 sacks and is the leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bosa looks every bit the dominant pass rusher the Chargers want, and as long as he can stay healthy, he’ll certainly be appearing in a Pro Bowl down the line.