It is that time of year again when the Pro Bowl rosters are revealed, and there are gobs of players who get in on name recognition alone despite poor play throughout the season. The Cleveland Browns had three players named Pro Bowlers, but one of their better players this season was snubbed in favor of a common name. Center Ethan Pocic, who is set to return from Injured Reserve, has experienced a massive breakout season for the Browns in 2022 but was not even named as an alternate, as Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs and Mitch Morse of the Buffalo Bills were named as the Pro Bowlers at the center position.
This is egregious on multiple fronts for both Pocic and the Browns, and here is why.
There are not more than five centers playing better football than Ethan Pocic
Outside of Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles, can a center be named off the top of your head who is, with certainty, who is playing better football than Pocic?
Signing in Cleveland on just a one-year deal as a fallback, Pocic has started since day-one after Nick Harris suffered a season-ending injury on the first dive of the preseason. He has been nothing but tremendous as Bill Callahan has notched another infinity stone in his developmental gauntlet.
Pocic has rare athleticism on display to climb to the second level and work in space along the boundary at a high level, has proven to be a keen communicator pre-snap, with eyes that are trustworthy, and has been a stalwart as both a run and a pass blocker for the Browns this season.
Pocic’s absence the past four weeks has put his impact on this offensive line in Cleveland on full display as well. The Browns were a top-four rushing team in the NFL over the first 11 weeks of the season but fell to the 17th-best in the four weeks that Pocic was out on Injured Reserve.
It’s on his tape, it’s noticeable in his absence, Pocic has been a top-shelf center this season and deserved to be rewarded for it.
PFF is just a small piece of the puzzle, but the chasm is wide between Ethan Pocic and Mitch Morse
While PFF grades are certainly fallible, they are still a small piece of the puzzle that has to be discussed. And according to PFF, Pocic has been far better than Morse thus far in 2022.
Pocic sits with a PFF grade of an elite 82.8 on the season for the Browns as he plays himself into a possible extension this offseason. His pass blocking grade sits at 67.5, with his run blocking grade shooting through the roof at 84.1.
Morse, however, sits with a measly PFF grade of 62.8. His run blocking grade is a poor 57.9 on the season, with his pass blocking grade sitting at 70.2 for the Bills in 2022.
It is pretty basic math at this point, but the difference in the grades between Pocic and Morse is not a small margin. Pocic’s overall grade is 20 points higher, his pass blocking grade is ten higher, and his run blocking grade is 14 points higher.
Again, PFF grades are quite fallible and are not the final answer, consistently accurate, or reliable for player evaluation. However, this small piece of the puzzle diagnoses a steep difference in play between one center who was named as a Pro Bowler and a far better one who was not even named as an alternate.
Final thoughts on the egregious Pro Bowl snub of Pocic
The Pro Bowl is a popularity contest, and there are several names who made the list that prove this. Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander, Kansas City Chiefs tackle Orlando Brown, and Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard prove this point. All three have not been even good for their respective teams this season and yet were named to the all-star affair.
However, guys like Pocic, who have improved significantly this season, and who actually deserves the spot get left off because their name does not carry as much weight. However, Morse made the Pro Bowl last year for the Bills a year ago and is a noticeable player.
The Pro Bowl selection process is broken and flawed, which is why it is continuously mocked year in and year out. And Pocic, playing like a top-three center in the NFL this season, has become a victim to a poor process.
