NFL Pro Bowl Roster 2015: Twitter Reacts to Players for Unconferenced Draft

We've known Hall of Fame wide receivers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin would captain fantasy-style Pro Bowl teams for months. Tuesday, we found out the pool of players from which Irvin and Carter will get to choose.

In a special on NFL Network, the 86 players selected for the 2015 Pro Bowl were announced. The teams won't be finalized for a month, when Carter and Irvin select their rosters in Arizona as part of the lead up to a Jan. 25 clash, but as always, the announcement of participants created fervor.

Leading the charge for their respective sides of the ball are Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt, who are considered by most as the front-runners for MVP.

QB	Tom Brady, NE	Andrew Luck, Ind	Peyton Manning, Den
	Tony Romo, Dal	Ben Roethlisberger, Pit	Aaron Rodgers, GB
RB	Le'Veon Bell, Pit	Jamaal Charles, KC	Arian Foster, Hou
	Marshawn Lynch, Sea	LeSean McCoy, Phi	DeMarco Murray, Dal
FB	John Kuhn, GB	Marcel Reece, Oak
WR	Antonio Brown, Pit	Dez Bryant, Dal	A.J. Green, Cin
	T.Y. Hilton, Ind	Calvin Johnson, Det	Julio Jones, Atl
	Jordy Nelson, GB	Demaryius Thomas, Den
TE	Jimmy Graham, NO	Rob Gronkowski, NE	Julius Thomas, Den
	Greg Olsen, Car
OT	Ryan Clady, Den	Tyron Smith, Dal	Trent Williams, Was
	Joe Thomas, Cle	Joe Staley, SF	Jason Peters, Phi
C	Travis Frederick, Dal	Jason Kelce, Phi	Nick Mangold, NYJ
	Maurkice Pouncey, Pit
OG	Jahri Evans, NO	Mike Iupati, SF	Kyle Long, Chi
	Zack Martin, Dal	Marshal Yanda, Bal	Josh Sitton, GB
DE	Calais Campbell, Ari	Mario Williams, Buf	J.J. Watt, Hou
	DeMarcus Ware, Den	Cameron Wake, Mia	Robert Quinn, STL
DT	Marcell Dareus, Buf	Aaron Donald, STL	Gerald McCoy, TB
	Kyle Williams, Buf	Ndamukong Suh, Det	Dontari Poe, KC
OLB	Connor Barwin, Phi	Elvis Dumervil, Bal	Tamba Hali, KC
	Justin Houston, KC	Clay Matthews, GB	Von Miller, Den
ILB	Luke Kuechly, Car	C.J. Mosley, Bal	Bobby Wagner, Sea
	Lawrence Timmons, Pit
CB	Vontae Davis, Ind	Brent Grimes, Mia	Joe Haden, Cle
	Chris Harris, Den	Aqib Talib, Den	Richard Sherman, Sea
	Darrelle Revis, NE	Patrick Peterson, Ari
S	Kam Chancellor, Sea	Tashaun Gipson, Cle	Eric Weddle, SD
	T.J. Ward, Den	Earl Thomas, Sea	Glover Quin, Det
K	Stephen Gostkoswki, NE	Adam Vinatieri, Ind
P	Kevin Huber, Cin	Pat McAfee, Ind
PR	Devin Hester, Atl	Darren Sproles, Phi
ST	Justin Bethel, Ari	Matthew Slater, NE

Rodgers has thrown for 4,155 yards and 36 touchdowns against five interceptions coming into Week 17, where he'll have the chance to clinch an NFC North win over the Detroit Lions. The Packers signal-caller was considered a lock to take top honors earlier this season, but his one touchdown the last two weeks has helped close the gap.

This is Rodgers' fourth Pro Bowl appearance overall in three of the last four seasons. He was held out in 2013 after being limited to nine games due to injury. Peter King of Sports Illustrated's MMQB.com said Rodgers is his MVP through 16 weeks:

Rodgers will be joined under center by Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger. Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe found Russell Wilson's exclusion a little tough to swallow:

Danny Kelly, who runs the Field Gulls Twitter feed, though, acknowledged Wilson was better as an alternate:

Watt, meanwhile, will be the historic force of nature trying to bring the quarterbacks down. He heads into Week 17 with 72 total tackles and 17.5 sacks, the NFL's second-highest total and a ridiculous number for a guy who primarily plays 3-4 defensive end. 

“It’s amazing,” Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs told reporters last week. “If you look at the guy’s numbers, it’s like there’s no way in the world this is possible. I be thinking I be reading a misprint. … It’s just ridiculous. Like, come on. Come on. Really? For a defensive guy (to have) numbers like that, I’ve never seen a guy with so many stats.”

More Watt praise here from Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders:

Kansas City's Justin Houston, who leads Watt by 0.5 sacks for the lead, should provide an anchor for one team's linebacking corps. Should either Carter or Irvin manage to pair the two, it might be best for franchises to begin pulling their quarterbacks now. Also joining the festivities from a pass-rushing perspective are Bills defensive end Mario Williams, Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware and Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil.

With the likes of Lavonte David and DeAndre Levy being excluded, Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus and Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official website noted there may be too much of a bias toward outside linebackers: 

If the elite pass rush weren't enough, the secondaries should be loaded for both sides.

Seattle's Richard Sherman and New England's Darrelle Revis lead a cornerback corps that includes Arizona's Patrick Peterson, Denver's Aqib Talib and Cleveland's Joe Haden. Ball-hawking Lions safety Glover Quin, who leads the NFL with seven interceptions, and his closest competition (Browns safety Tashaun Gipson) were named to their first Pro Bowl rosters.

Defensive backs will have their work cut out regardless of how rosters play out, as Carter and Irvin will choose from one of the best stables of wideout talent in league history. Steelers star Antonio Brown, who will likely finish 2014 with the second-most receptions in a single season, leads a pack so deep that DeAndre Hopkins' 1,205 yards didn't get him a nod.

Green Bay's Jordy Nelson, Atlanta's Julio Jones and Denver's Demaryius Thomas will make the trip, as will Dallas' Dez Bryant, Indianapolis' T.Y. Hilton and Detroit's Calvin Johnson. Pride of Detroit's Twitter feed noted Megatron's fifth straight appearance:

That said, Johnson is undoubtedly the most controversial of the selections. His season-long stats are worse than teammate Golden Tate, Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr. and others. Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post found Beckham's snub in particular difficult to stomach:

"

We're going to look back in a few years and go, "Remember when they left Odell Beckham out of the Pro Bowl?"

— Bart Hubbuch (@BartHubbuch) December 24, 2014"

Brown and Bryant are both headed to Tempe with their skill-position teammates, as running backs DeMarco Murray and Le'Veon Bell lead the class at their position. Murray, who will play a full season for the first time in his career, has rushed for an NFL-high 1,745 yards. Bell has 2,115 total yards from scrimmage and was named the team's MVP this week, which he spoke about to the team's official website:

"

This award is something as a kid you always dreamt about, being the MVP of your team or one of the players your teammates call upon to be a playmaker and difference maker in a game. I am so proud to be the MVP. But me being MVP is something I can’t do on my own. The MVP is an individual award, but it’s really a team award in my eyes. I can’t do it without my teammates. Guys deserve it as much as I do. I am just proud to be a Pittsburgh Steeler.

"

While a majority of the selections were no-brainers, there were a few that left people scratching their heads. Joe Ostrowski of 670 The Score wondered how LeSean McCoy made the roster over Matt Forte: 

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports was frustrated at Fletcher Cox's exclusion and his status as a deep alternate:

In all likelihood, though, the outrage will disappear. We've seen in recent seasons that Pro Bowl rosters are subject to high attrition rates. By the time Carter and Irvin actually select their teams, odds are they'll be picking from a pool that looks little like this original incarnation. Last season, 28 players—more than half a team's worth—were selected but did not make the trip, whether due to their Super Bowl obligation or injuries.

Odds are that in a month's time, complaints will move from who isn't included in the game to who is.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter