Pro Bowl 2012: First-Timers Who Will Be Worth Watching

If you're still tuning in to watch the Pro Bowl expecting to see a great football game, you are doing it wrong, my friend.

But if you tune in to watch the Pro Bowl every year just wanting to see some of the NFL's best players doing their thing, you're doing it right.

The Pro Bowl doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment, but chances are you will see awesome players do some awesome things.

Personally, I like keeping an eye on players who have never been to the Pro Bowl before. It's all new for them, so they're liable to have more fun than most.

There are quite a few first-timers on this year's Pro Bowl rosters, but I'm looking forward to watching the five guys listed below in particular.

5. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

I would not describe A.J. Green as a flashy receiver. He is not DeSean Jackson or Steve Smith. 

Green is, however, a very smooth receiver. He runs his routes well, knows where the ball is at all times and typically has little trouble making the catch when the ball comes in his direction. He's a boring kind of good.

Green had a great rookie season in 2011, but he's going to get even better once Andy Dalton develops into an above-average NFL quarterback. He'll be able to get the ball to Green with better regularity.

Since Green will be playing with some above-average quarterbacks at the Pro Bowl, there's a good chance we'll get a sneak peak at just how good Green will be down the line. Dalton will be there to throw him a few passes, but so will Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers.

Watching them hook up with Green will make for some good television.

4. Von Miller, Denver Broncos

Moving on to yet another AFC rookie, we have Von Miller. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft in 2011, and he made good on Denver's investment by having one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory.

Miller was a force on defense in 2011, especially when it came time to rush the passer. Miller finished the season in a slump, but he still managed to rack up 11.5 sacks throughout the course of the season. Quarterbacks are going to fear him for a long time.

Conventional wisdom suggests Miller will ease up a bit on the pass rush in the Pro Bowl, but I wouldn't be so sure. The last All-Star game I saw him play in was the 2011 Senior Bowl, and he absolutely dominated the competition.

If I were an NFC quarterback, I'd be worried.

3. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints

Jimmy Graham was simply amazing in 2011, catching 99 passes for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Yes, having Drew Brees as his quarterback made things a little easier for Graham, but don't underestimate Graham's abilities. He made a lot of catches in traffic this season, oftentimes showing off the skills he accumulated playing basketball at Miami.

Graham will be catching passes from Brees at the Pro Bowl, but he'll also be catching passes from Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton. Assuming they watched any highlights this season, they'll know that they can just chuck it up for grabs in Graham's general direction. 

He won't let them down.

2. Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Wallace is fast. Like, really fast.

Thankfully for us, Wallace doesn't mind showing off his speed. It's not uncommon for Big Ben to find him streaking down the field, especially this season. Wallace caught numerous long touchdown passes, and the one thing they all had in common is that they featured Wallace simply outrunning the defense.

We're going to see the AFC try more than a few deep passes in the Pro Bowl, you can rest assured about that. Big Ben, Andy Dalton and Philip Rivers will have some pretty good options at their disposal, but Wallace is the best.

So just sit back and watch Wallace go to work. It will be fun.

1. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton just had the best rookie season in NFL history. As if that wasn't enough, he did it in style.

You don't need me to tell you that Newton is just plain fun to watch. He'll make plays with his arm, but he's probably even more dangerous making plays with his legs. He rushed for over 700 yards, and he broke the record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 14.

Since Rodgers and Brees have been there and done that before, my hope is that Newton will get the bulk of the NFC's snaps. If he does, I have no doubt that he'll do his level-best to keep us entertained.