2015 Pro Bowl Mock Draft: Projecting Picks for Team Carter and Team Irvin

The 2015 Pro Bowl is fast approaching, and that means another draft is headed our way.

Picking up where the NFL left off last year, the Pro Bowl rosters will be filled out fantasy football style with two of the all-time best wide receivers serving as team captains.

This new way of drafting isn't as cut-and-dry as previous years. The whole AFC colliding with the NFC ideology has been tossed into the rubbish bin like Jay Cutler's 2014 season.

Doing our best to analyze the talent available, per NFL.com, and how each captain thinks, we're able to take an expansive look at the 2015 Pro Bowl.

From a recap of the rules to the unveiling of our very own mock draft, here's what you can expect this year from the NFL's version of an All-Star Game.

Captains

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This year's duo of captains are former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin and ex-Minnesota Vikings pass-catcher Cris Carter.

Over the course of both of their careers, the two Hall of Famers combined to catch 1,851 passes for 25,803 yards and 195 touchdowns. Carter may have produced better numbers through the years, but Irvin has the pleasure of waking up each morning and polishing the three Super Bowl rings he won with the Cowboys.

Each legend of the game won't be alone when it comes to drafting a team. Similar to how it went down last year, they both will be complemented by a "front office."

John Randle, another former Vikings great will be on Team Carter while Irvin gets to strategize with one of his old teammates in Darren Woodson.

With engaging television personalities and a history of being gladiators of the gridiron, both Carter and Irvin should provide viewers with a serious dose of fireworks.

Rules

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The rules the NFL has implemented for the 2015 edition of the Pro Bowl reflect the set we saw put in place last year. In an attempt to stoke the competitive fire of each participant, the league has decided to go back to the well and hope for the same results.

Rosters

Constructing an efficient roster is the key to success. Knowing that, each captain will be responsible for selecting 21 offensive players, 18 defensive players and five players on special teams.

Before the night even begins, the fans will select four captains. Decided by who received the most votes, the top two most popular offensive and defensive players will earn that honor before any of the picks are made.

At the end of the draft process, Irvin, Carter and their respective staffs will have 44 names they will have to lean on in order to win the 2015 Pro Bowl.

The Draft

This year's draft will take place over a span of two days. The process will commence Tuesday, January 20 and finish with a live show from Arizona on Wednesday, January 21.

On the first night, each team will select or get assigned a total of 26 players.

Just like last year, there will be a coin toss between Irvin and Carter prior to the draft that will determine who picks first and how they use that pick. 

For example, if Carter wins the toss, he can either choose from one of the captain groups or he can opt for the first selection during Tuesday's predraft and the No. 1 overall selection the following night as well.

As always, picks are made in an alternating fashion.

On Tuesday, each team will get its hands on 13 players who will be broken up by position groups. Those groups look like this: Three interior linemen, three guards, two centers, one fullback, punter, placekicker, returner and one special teams player.

Come Wednesday, that's where the real magic happens. It's then and only then that Carter and Irvin will get to select any player they want.

It's a very complicated process, but it does make for some entertaining television. For a complete breakdown on all of the various particulars, the folks over at NFL.com have cobbled together an official rulebook that lays out all of the intricacies.

Team Irvin Mock Draft

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We already know that Irvin is a splashy guy. That being said, he's going to want his team to reflect that personality. During the roster announcement, Irvin made comments that made you think that the direction he's going in will be very pass-heavy.

For the sake of our mock, we're assuming Irvin will win the coin toss January 20. By winning the toss, he will select two sure things in Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Denver Broncos defensive juggernaut DeMarcus Ware. That means Carter automatically gets the other set of captains, Peyton Manning and J.J. Watt.

Predraft Roster

1. QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
2. DE DeMarcus Ware, Denver Broncos
3. OG Kyle Long, Chicago Bears
4. OG Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
5. OG Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers
6. C Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys
7. C Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers
8. FB John Kuhn, Green Bay Packers
9. P Kevin Huber, Cincinnati Bengals
10. K Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
11. KR Devin Hester, Atlanta Falcons
12. ST Matthew Slater, New England Patriots
13. DT Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. DT Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills
15. DT Dontari Poe, Kansas City Chiefs

The predetermined roster for Irvin includes two Cowboys players—expect that to be a theme for Team Irvin throughout the draft process. As one of the greatest Cowboys players in history, odds are he won't be able to stay away from his heritage.

Looking at the rest of the roster we've mocked for him, Coach Irvin gets his hands on the explosive Devin Hester before the live show. With 1,021 return yards on the year, Hester should be able to run wild in Arizona on kick and punt returns.

The big bodies responsible for hunkering down and building a wall in the trenches will be Gerald McCoy, Marcell Dareus and Dontari Poe. By Pro Football Focus' standards (subscription required), McCoy and Dareus were both dominant this year.

On the other hand, Poe wasn't as lucky. Grading out as the 39th defensive tackle in the league, at least from an advanced-metrics vantage point, he wasn't worthy of securing a Pro Bowl spot this year.

Looking at the numbers and the numbers only, you can weave a different tale. With five sacks on the year and 43 combined tackles, it sure appears that the third-year man from Memphis has once again thrived in Kansas City.

Live Draft Roster 

1. WR Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
2. RB Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
3. CB Darrelle Revis, New England Patriots 
4. DE Mario Williams, Buffalo Bills
5. QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
6. WR Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
7. S Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks
8. ILB C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens
9. TE Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
10. WR Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
11. RB Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
12. OT Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns
13. OLB Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs
14. CB Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals
15. DE Robert Quinn, St. Louis Rams
16. OLB Connor Barwin, Philadelphia Eagles
17. OT Jason Peters, Philadelphia Eagles

Irvin's top pick has to be Dez Bryant, doesn't it? The man who wears the famous No. 88 jersey already has a close relationship with the Pro Bowl captain—as we saw on the roster announcement show.

Coach Irvin needs Bryant if he wants to give his quarterbacks an unstoppable target.

After the Dez selection, look for Marshawn Lynch to be the pick. He's the most physical runner in the NFL and the things he's done lately—10 carries for 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals—makes him a hot pick right now.

The rest of the roster is filled with gems, but if you notice, Irvin was a wide receiver. That means he's going to want to have as many as these showstoppers around as he possibly can. If Jordy Nelson and Calvin Johnson join up with Bryant, that's going to be a serious nightmare scenario for Team Carter.

Nelson has nabbed 92 balls for 1,433 yards and 13 touchdowns while Johnson is still a 6'5" target who take the top off of a defense.

Assigned Players

1. WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
2. OT Ryan Clady, Denver Broncos
3. TE Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos
4. RB Arian Foster, Houston Texans
5. QB Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
6. S Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland Browns
7. S T.J. Ward, Denver Broncos
8. CB Chris Harris, Denver Broncos
9. CB Vontae Davis, Indianapolis Colts
10. ILB Lawrence Timmons, Pittsburgh Steelers
11. OLB Elvis Dumervil, Baltimore Ravens
12. Player of Need (long snapper)

Team Carter Mock Draft

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Because Irvin won the toss and he got his hands on Rodgers and Ware, that means Carter will get two darn good players plus the luxury of having the top two picks in the draft.

Manning will be the No. 1 QB on his roster. As a bonus, he'll get the honor of playing alongside the man, the myth, the legend, J.J. Watt, on Team Carter.

Predraft Roster

1. QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
2. DE J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
3. OG Jahri Evans, New Orleans Saints
4. OG Mike Iupati, San Francisco 49ers
5. OG Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Ravens
6. C Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles
7. C Nick Mangold, New York Jets
8. FB Marcel Reece, Oakland Raiders
9. P Pat McAfee, Indianapolis Colts
10. K Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts
11. KR Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles
12. ST Justin Bethel, Arizona Cardinals
13. DT Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams
14. DT Kyle Williams, Buffalo Bills
15. DT Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions 

The assigned roster for Team Carter is full of bruising interior linemen and explosive special teams players.

Offensive guards Mike Iupati, Marshal Yanda and Jahri Evans combine to weigh in at a staggering 954 pounds. Alongside centers Nick Mangold and Jason Kelce, that line should be able to move mountains and clear massive rushing lanes for the ground game.

Darren Sproles is the player to watch in Carter's offense. A triple-threat playmaker who can return kicks, rush the football and catch passes out of the backfield is a great addition during Day 1 of the Pro Bowl draft.

Of all the players to be assigned to Carter, St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the biggest gift. In just one season in the NFL, Donald has already made the Pro Bowl.

His 39 combined tackles and eight sacks are outstanding. Throw in the fact that he's PFF's (subscription required) top interior defensive player, and my friends, what you have is a scary man parked in the middle of that line.

Live Draft Roster 

1. WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
2. RB DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
3. TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
4. CB Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
5. QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
6. OLB Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers
7. OT Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys
8. WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
9. DE Cameron Wake, Miami Dolphins
10. CB Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos
11. S Kam Chancellor, Seattle Seahawks
12. RB Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
13. WR Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
14. ILB Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
15. OLB Von Miller, Denver Broncos
16. OT Trent Williams, Washington
17. CB Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns

The undying love for Antonio Brown was strong during the Pro Bowl announcement show. Both Irvin and Carter fawned over the prospect of having him on their squads.

But it's Carter who winds up taking him No. 1 overall in our mock. It works out perfectly considering Irvin will get his chance to draft his "son," Bryant.

Carter's roster is offensively rich. Essentially admitting to Chris Rose of the NFL Network that he wants to throw the football, he pairs up the NFL's top tight end Rob Gronkowski with his quarterback Tom Brady. 

Assuming both guys actually decide to play in the Pro Bowl, that combination is just too dynamic not to roll the dice on. This year, they've already linked up 82 times for 12 touchdowns.

When you like to throw the football, you understand how important it is to beef up your secondary. With all of the talking he does, cornerback Richard Sherman should be a high pick during the live draft. Carter's need to slow down Irvin's own aerial attack will force him to take the ex-Stanford Cardinal.

As great as it would be to see Irvin land all of the Cowboys players, Carter makes a power move when he steals DeMarco Murray and Tyron Smith away from Irvin. That will not only set off a war of words, but it will make for some exciting TV.

Ending his draft, the Carter administration will lean on tackling-machine Luke Kuechly, edge-rusher Von Miller and a very gifted cornerback in Joe Haden to shore up the defensive side of the ball.

Assigned Players

1. CB Brent Grimes, Miami Dolphins
2. WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
3. TE Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
4. QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
5. OLB Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs
6. OT Joe Staley, San Francisco 49ers
7. DE Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals
8. RB LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
9. S Glover Quin, Detroit Lions
10. S Eric Weddle, San Diego Chargers
11. ILB Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
12. Player of Need (long snapper)

Unless noted otherwise, all game scores and information come courtesy of ESPN.com.