One of the most prestigious honors that a player can receive is being named to the All-Pro team. Only one player from every position is named to the All-Pro Team and stacking up multiple All-Pro honors is the quickest way for a player to ensure they are on a Hall of Fame path.
The All-Pro Team is announced at the end of the 2021 season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate which players for the Las Vegas Raiders might have a shot at making the list.
The Raiders have a few players this season who should be considered for the A.P. All-Pro Team in 2021. That list includes Maxx Crosby, Casey Hayward Jr. and Daniel Carlson.
However, the player that seems like a lock to make the All-Pro Team is none other than A.J. Cole. Not only does he lead the NFL in yards per punt (50.1), but he is not far off from the all-time yards per punt record set by Sammy Baugh (51.4) in 1940.
Cole is having a fantastic team and was recently named to ESPN’s All-Pro Team by Bill Barnwell. Here is what he had to say about the elite punter for the Las Vegas Raiders:
“Cole has been atop the per-punt leaderboard at Puntalytics, which adjusts for field position and expected return length, virtually all season.
Anger, who was cut by the Texans this offseason and signed a one-year deal for $1 million with Dallas, has been the focal point of a punting unit that has generated more points of field position than any other.”
With only two games left in the 2021 season, it seems unlikely that anyone is going to surpass Cole and take his spot on the All-Pro team. He will be the first specialist to make the All-Pro Team for the Raiders since Shane Lechler did it in 2011.
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