Pro Bowl 2014: Full Roster and Expectations for Team Rice vs. Team Sanders

NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders made the most of the inaugural Pro Bowl Draft as the league attempts to revive an event that has been dead in the water for years.

The shot in the dark may just work.

With the nation under the influence of a thing called fantasy football, a fantasy draft that features the biggest names in the NFL (barring injured or championship-bound stars) only made sense. The final rosters have the look of exciting matchups—on paper.

Team Sanders	Position	Team Rice
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts	QB	Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers	QB	Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles	QB	Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
	RB	LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers	RB	Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins	RB	DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
Marcel Reece, Oakland Raiders	FB	Mike Tolbert, Carolina Panthers
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals	WR	Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys	WR	Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers	WR	Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears
DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles	WR	Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns	TE	Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys	TE	Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
Branden Albert, Kansas City Chiefs	OT	Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns
Trent Williams, Washington Redskins	OT	Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys
Duane Brown, Houston Texans	OT	Jordan Gross, Carolina Panthers
Mike Pouncey, Miami Dolphins	C	Ryan Kalil, Carolina Panthers
Alex Mack, Cleveland Browns	C	Nick Mangold, New York Jets
Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Ravens	OG	Jahri Evans, New Orleans Saints
Logan Mankins, New England Patriots	OG	Ben Grubbs, New Orleans Saints
Kyle Long, Chicago Bears	OG	Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles
Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions	DT	Kyle Williams, Buffalo Bills
Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	DT	Jason Hatcher, Dallas Cowboys
Dontari Poe, Kansas City Chiefs	DT	Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills
Mario Williams, Buffalo Bills	DE	Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints
Greg Hardy, Carolina Panthers	DE	Cameron Wake, Miami Dolphins
J.J. Watt, Houston Texans	DE
Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs	OLB	Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs
Brian Orakpo, Washington Redskins (via trade)	OLB	John Abraham, Arizona Cardinals
Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens	OLB	Robert Mathis, Indianapolis Colts (via trade)
Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers	ILB	Vontaze Burfict, Cincinnati Bengals
Paul Posluszny, Jacksonville Jaguars	ILB	Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Tim Jennings, Chicago Bears	CB	Alterraun Verner, Tennessee Titans
Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals	CB	Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns
Darrelle Revis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	CB	Brandon Flowers, Kansas City Chiefs
Brent Grimes, Miami Dolphins	CB	Antonio Cromartie, New York Jets
T.J. Ward, Cleveland Browns	S	Antrel Rolle, New York Giants
Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs	S	Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills
Eric Weddle, San Diego Chargers	S	Eric Reid, San Francisco 49ers
Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens	K	Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings	PR	Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs
Brandon Fields, Miami Dolphins	P	Johnny Hekker, St. Louis Rams
Matthew Slater, New England Patriots	ST	Justin Bethel, Arizona Cardinals
J.J. Jansen, Carolina Panthers	LS	Matt Overton, Indianapolis Colts

Of course, vocal detractors remain in the face of the league's attempt to revitalize the annual spectacle, such as legendary coach John Madden, via Mad Dog Sports Radio:

Regardless, the NFL has set the stage for intriguing matchups that were once only reserved for the imagination. Perhaps the biggest example is superstars from the same team set to battle one another as they line up on opposite sides of the field.

For example, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Robert Mathis of Team Rice has the chance to hit Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who was the No. 1 overall pick. Mathis told reporters, via NFL.com's Kevin Patra, that he would not hit Luck: "No. It's my quarterback, I'm not going to hit him. We joked about it. It was just jokes. I'm glad it didn't happen."

But it did happen, as Mathis was traded for Brian Orakpo and will subsequently line up across from Luck. Now Mathis has a dilemma on his hands. Do not expect him to change his approach in regards to hitting his own quarterback, however.

Mathis is far from the only player stuck in this awkward situation—which makes for great entertainment among fans.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who replaced New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, will have to face several of his own defenders. This time, the hits and mistakes will be meaningful against the likes of defensive tackle Dontari Poe, linebacker Tamba Hali and safety Eric Berry.

The same goes for San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who was drafted by Team Rice and will somehow have to avoid star safety Eric Weddle.  

Speaking of Weddle, he was not too thrilled about his late selection and laid out an epic interview during his wait, which Rivers may want to pay attention to, per Ricky Henne of the Chargers' website:

"

It doesn’t really matter [where I go]. I’m just chilling. [It’s] been 17 hours in here right now. But when it comes to Sunday, and I told both coaches, they’re going to regret along with everyone in this room [because] I’ll be on the field in the fourth quarter and ready to wreck shop.

"

While Weddle sounds angry, one has to think he will not take out his frustrations on his own quarterback.

Defenders going against their own signal-callers is far from the only storyline to watch, as receivers and cornerbacks from the same teams will also line up across from each other for epic matchups.

Arizona Cardinals star cornerback Patrick Peterson will line up across from Larry Fitzgerald. As CBS Sports' Will Brinson illustrates, this matchup, only made possible via the Pro Bowl, is a must-see affair:

It does not end there. Will Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict light up receiver A.J. Green if he comes across the middle? Is Cleveland Browns wideout Josh Gordon safe if he goes deep in T.J. Ward's direction? It can be assumed those defenders will take it easy on their offensive counterparts, but both are not known for holding back—so do not be shocked to see some vicious friendly fire.

While far from the only intriguing matchups to watch, the above scenarios should raise the expectations of fans everywhere for this year's Pro Bowl. "What if?" scenarios are always a hot topic, and the upcoming spectacle in Hawaii will fulfill many of those dream matchups.