Which Oakland Raiders Could Make The 2010 Pro Bowl?

I know it's very early to make predictions as we are only in week 2, but people start predicting the draft before the Super Bowl has finished. This led me to believe that we could speculate who will be the stand out achievers for Oakland despite them only playing one game.

In most cases I will be basing my prediction on the assumption that younger players will have improved. With that in mind I will be looking at how players performed last season as well as how they are expected to perform this year. I may also judge players on how they did in preseason and week one.

We all have opinions so tell me who you think could make the 2010 Pro Bowl for the Raiders?

Shane Lechler - P

I don't think that this would be a massive surprise for the Raider Nation. The 6 time All Pro and 4 time Pro Bowler has had a fantastic career as a Punter. As the NFL's all time leader in career punting average he is arguably the best in the NFL.

However unfortunately for Lechler the Raiders seem to have the makings of a good offense and so Punting may not be used as much as recent years.

Nnamdi Asomugha - CB

The 2 time Pro Bowler and All Pro is often entioned as being the best CB in the league. With many teams opting to pass to anyone but him it is hard to disagree with th logic. With a secondary that has hardly improved on paper people should expect much of the same from Nnamdi. This means taking a reciever out the game and rarely having his name mentioned on passing downs.

However Nnamdi does have an injured arm which could affect his game, but worse he was out of position on a TD pass to Vincent Jackson. Thats not what any Raider wants to see from him in our first game of the season.

Richard Seymour - DL

Without even having a proper practice with his new team the 5 time Pro Bowler and 4 time All Pro had 6 tackles and 2 sacks in the season opener. Often described as the best D-Lineman in the NFL, Seymour made an instant impact in his first game and the thought of him practising with his team before a game must worry opposing Offensive Lineman.

If the Raiders continue to stop the run he will be the one gaining the credit as well as occassionally taking the QB down. I believe he will have a very productive year in Oakland playing in the 4-3.

Robert Gallery -LG

After having a horrible time at RT the former 1st round draft pick has found a home at LG. Since Gallery has moved to LG the Raiders have been in the top 10 in the NFL for rushing yards. This season is expected to see even more productvity from the ground game with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush both expected to live up to their potential. Gallery is seen as by far the Raiders best O-Lineman and so if the ground game has success Gallery may find himself with a chance to get to Hawaii.

Zach Miller - TE

Zach Miller has consistently been one of Jamarcus Russell's prefered targets an is among the best young Tight Ends in the NFL. With good blocking ability and sure hands Miller should hope for a big year in which QB Russell is expected to improve.

After 6 catches for 96 yards against the Chargers Miller has started the season in a good fashion. Unfortuatly he is not a houshold name and so the chances of him making the Pro Bowl, even with a big year, are doubtful.

Johnnie Lee Higgens - WR/PR

JLH had a fantastic season last year returning punts. Many people believed that he was unfortunate to have not made the Pro Bowl in 2009. It seems that JLH's main role for the Raiders will be returning punts and not as a receiver. This meens that JLH will be fresh and looking to make the most of any opportunity on a punt. If he improves on last year he could make it to the Pro Bowl.

Near Misses...

Greg Ellis - DE: Despite the fact that I believe he will have a good year in Oakland, I dont believe that he will get the recognition for the Pro Bowl. He will be overshadowed by Richard Seymour.

Darren McFadden - RB: A very talented back playing in a run 1st offense. Unfortunatly for him he is playing in the same team as Michael Bush and Justin Fargas and so I don't believe he will see enough game time.

The Law Firm - LB: Both Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard are talented LB's and will be able to make more plays this year with an improved D-line infront of them. However I don't believe either of them will do enough to get to the Pro Bowl.

Chaz Schilens - WR: All through training camp and pre-season he was seen as 'the guy' for JaMarcus to throw to. He looked set for a big year until a broken foot has made him sidelined until week 3. Add to that the fact that he may not possibly go back to playing as well as he was and it looks like he has missed out on his opportunity for a Pro Bowl year.