Pro Bowl 2012: Cam Newton and More First-Timers Who Will Become Fixtures

When the NFL's best players take the field at the Pro Bowl, there will be several first-timers that you're going to want to get used to seeing. As the veterans get old and lose their effectiveness, these young guns are going to become permanent Pro Bowl fixtures.

They are already at the Pro Bowl, and have room to improve. For the opposition, that is nothing short of terrifying.

Cam Newton

The numbers that Newton put up in 2011 are staggering. He threw for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdown passes, with very little talent at receiver outside of Steve Smith. He is only going to get better as the talent around Newton grows. 

On top of the passing yardage totals, Newton is also a weapon on his feet. He ran for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns as a rookie. I don't care how good the other NFC quarterbacks are, but when your arms and legs account for 4,757 yards and 35 touchdowns, you are going to be in the Pro Bowl and will be there a lot. 

Even with Brett Favre's retirement after the 2010 season and the season-long injury to Peyton Manning, this is a golden age for quarterbacking. Newton is a huge part of that and, as a rookie, will be there for longer than anyone else. 

Jimmy Graham

When you watch the Pro Bowl, look at the huge tight end in the Saints helmet. That is the future of the tight end position. 

Graham is not just a big man with great hands. If he was nothing more than that, then Graham would be a valuable weapon. But lost in the shuffle of the San Francisco 49ers' great comeback was this play made by Graham.

That shows everything he is. Brees knew that his receiver would get to the ball before any defender did. When that happened, Graham's size made him too tough to tackle, and his speed made him too hard to catch. 

In a nutshell, Graham is a big target, which will make him a red-zone asset forever, but also a speedster with the big-play ability to match anyone. 

It will be a real story when Graham doesn't make the Pro Bowl. 

A.J. Green

Green has a combination of speed, size and raw athleticism that you don't see often. He made fellow rookie Andy Dalton's life easy in 2011 and will continue to do that in future seasons. 

Green's rookie season was good for an established veteran. He caught 65 passes for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. This came despite playing in a division with three of the top four passing defenses in the NFL, and being the team's only consistent downfield target. 

When the older players on the Ravens and Steelers start to retire and the Bengals surround Green with talent that will take double-teams away, his numbers will be massive. 

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