theScore's 2020 midseason NFL All-Pro team
The 2020 NFL season is halfway through, and while a few of the usual suspects continue to dominate, several new faces appear destined to enter the league's elite.
Here are theScore's midseason All-Pro selections voted by all seven football editors:
* = unanimous selection
Quarterback
Russell Wilson, Seahawks
Seattle finally let Wilson loose in the kitchen this season. With a league-leading 26 touchdown passes so far, Wilson has two more than second-place Aaron Rodgers and five more than the third-place Patrick Mahomes despite playing in one less game. He also leads the NFL in passer rating and ranks in the top three in yards per game, yards per attempt, and completion percentage. The Seahawks are 6-1 almost entirely because of their flourishing pass-first offense, and Wilson is the front-runner for MVP as a result.
Running back
Dalvin Cook, Vikings
While the Vikings' season hasn't gone to plan, Cook has done everything in his power to save it from disaster. Despite missing one game due to injury, the running back has the second-most rushing yards (652) and the most rushing touchdowns (10). Also, not only does Cook's 5.3-yard average on 122 carries rank seventh in the league, but of the six players ahead of him, the nearest still has 51 fewer carries. Defenses know exactly what is coming in Minnesota; Cook's been dominating regardless.
Wide receiver
DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals
DK Metcalf, Seahawks
Shockingly, Bill O'Brien was wrong that Hopkins was on the precipice of a decline prior to his trade to the Cardinals. The former Texans pass-catcher is an easy selection after immediately developing elite chemistry with Kyler Murray and leading the NFL in receiving yards and catches at the halfway mark.
Chasing down Budda Baker after an interception has been Metcalf's defining play of 2020 so far. However, his speed has been on display all season long. The Seahawks star's 18.9 yards per catch is second in the league, and his seven receiving scores are second to only Davante Adams' eight. Metcalf is already one of the game's scariest weapons.
Tight end
Travis Kelce, Chiefs
Kelce has been a first- or second-team All-Pro in each of the last four seasons, and he's likely going to earn a fifth straight honor. Often Patrick Mahomes' go-to man in critical situations, Kelce has the ninth-most receiving yards (610) and is tied for the third-most receiving touchdowns (six) among all players. The only tight end in Kelce's class is George Kittle, but the 49ers' star is facing a two-month absence. This is Kelce's spot to lose.
Flex
Alvin Kamara, Saints
With Michael Thomas sidelined for most of the season and Drew Brees' arm strength waning, the Saints needed Kamara to regain his electric form after struggling with an ankle injury in 2019. Not only does Kamara look as good as ever running the ball (431 yards and 5.0 average), he's somehow found another gear as a receiver. The 25-year-old is on pace to break both the single-season record for receiving yards (1,098) and catches (119) by a running back.
Offensive tackle
David Bakhtiari, Packers
Ryan Ramczyk, Saints
Bakhtiari has only suited up in five games this season due to injury, so he'll need to play out the rest of the campaign to keep this spot. But it's impossible to deny he's an elite blindside protector. The Packers left tackle has a ridiculously clean resume: zero sacks with just eight pressures and one penalty allowed. Aside from the man he protects, Bakhtiari is Green Bay's most valuable player.
New Orleans owns a dominant offensive line stocked with top-tier players. However, Ramczyk is in a class of his own so far this season. His pass blocking has been solid with just two sacks given up, but it's in the run game where he really shines.
Guard
Ali Marpet, Buccaneers
Zack Martin, Cowboys
When your play at left guard is equal to that of Quenton Nelson, you're certainly doing something right. Marpet is dominating in 2020, shining as a run-blocker while allowing no sacks and seven total pressures in pass protection.
It's more of the same for Martin at right guard. His pass-blocking efficiency leaves something to be desired compared to his elite standards, but he remains the NFL's premier run-blocker on a Cowboys team battling injuries and inconsistencies around him.
Center
Corey Linsley, Packers
We may be seeing a changing of the guard at center. A position perennially dominated by Jason Kelce, Alex Mack, and Rodney Hudson, Linsley's play is head and shoulders above his peers in his seventh campaign. Already a stellar run-blocker, the veteran has surrendered just one total pressure in pass protection. He's making a difficult position look easy.
Edge rusher
T.J. Watt, Steelers *
Myles Garrett, Browns *
In the NFL's deepest position, Watt and Garrett are both unanimous selections. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more complete defensive player than the Steelers' outside linebacker. Watt owns 6.5 sacks, leads all edge rushers with 39 total pressures, and his 27% pass rush win rate is the highest at his position through Week 8 since 2015, per PFF. Oh, he's elite against the run, too.
Garrett may be the only edge defender on Watt's level halfway through the season. The star defensive end is tied for the league lead with nine sacks and four forced fumbles, terrorizing any lineman lined up in front of him. The former first overall pick seemingly makes a handful of big plays every game and simply can't be stopped.
Interior defensive linemen
Aaron Donald, Rams *
Stephon Tuitt, Steelers
The most consistently dominant force in the NFL, Donald is the easiest choice on the midseason team - and one of our few unanimous selections. The Rams defensive tackle is in the running to become just the third player to win three Defensive Player of the Year awards (Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt). No defender commands more attention than Donald, but he's still tied for the league lead in sacks (nine), tied for fourth in tackles for loss (11), and is tied for third in forced fumbles (three). Donald is truly an unprecedented player.
The Steelers rank sixth in scoring defense and first in sacks through eight weeks, and it's in large part thanks to stellar efforts from the perennially underrated Tuitt. The defensive tackle is often overshadowed by Watt and Cameron Heyward, but the veteran has starred this season. Tuitt is tied for seventh in sacks with six and Donald is the only defensive tackle to rack up more hurries, per PFF.
Linebacker
Bobby Wagner, Seahawks
Lavonte David, Buccaneers
Fred Warner, 49ers
Wagner remains the cream of the crop after a disappointing 2019 campaign by his standards. The five-time All-Pro thrives in coverage and rarely misses tackles in run defense. He's also pitched in as a pass-rusher up the middle, amassing 12 pressures (third-best at his position).
David and Warner picked up right where they left off last year. The former is allowing just 67% of his targets to be caught - an excellent number for a linebacker - to go along with 1.5 sacks, an interception, and four pass breakups. Warner is a rising star - few others possess his combination of coverage chops and sideline-to-sideline range. Opposing quarterbacks own a measly 58.0 passer rating when throwing at the defender, good for second best at his position. Warner's intercepted more passes (two) than he's allowed touchdowns (zero).
Cornerback
Jaire Alexander, Packers
Xavien Howard, Dolphins
Alexander is one of the breakout stars of 2020. He flashed All-Pro potential in his first two seasons, but it has all come together for the former first-rounder in 2020. He is PFF's top-ranked cornerback by a significant margin after allowing just 57.7% of his intended targets to be completed. Alexander gave up a touchdown and 66 yards in Week 1, but he's blanketed everybody since then, allowing just a mind-boggling 68 yards from Week 2 to Week 8.
While Alexander has forced quarterbacks to look elsewhere, our second cornerback selection has made them pay for challenging him. Howard is tied for the league lead in interceptions with four and is giving up just 52.8% of his intended targets. The Dolphins veteran has allowed a few too many big plays, but he's offset those with crucial turnovers.
Safety
Budda Baker, Cardinals *
Jessie Bates III, Bengals
Baker is one of the league's premier defensive backs in 2020 and is a unanimous selection for his body of work to date. He ranks second among safeties with 59 tackles while also amassing two interceptions, two sacks, and leading his position with 21 stops at or behind the line of scrimmage. Baker can be used as a pass-rusher, box defender, or playmaker in coverage.
Meanwhile, Bates is flying under the radar in Cincinnati. The 23-year-old is simply a stud as a deep-lying defender and has yet to allow a touchdown in primary coverage (while intercepting two passes). Opposing quarterbacks own a brutal 22.1 passer rating when throwing at him. Bates is truly the ideal modern-day safety.
Defensive back
Marlon Humphrey, Ravens
The former first-round pick is a playmaker in the greatest sense - one interception, four forced fumbles (shades of Charles Tillman), and 2.5 sacks don't even paint the entire picture. It may not be an easy position to play, but Humphrey has solidified his spot as one of the game's premier corners.
Kicker
Justin Tucker, Ravens *
Tucker is well on his way to the veteran's fourth first-team All-Pro selection and fifth All-Pro inclusion overall. Arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history, the 30-year-old's only missed field goal this year came on a 61-yard attempt at the end of the first half in Week 5. He's been on brand - which is to say, automatic - otherwise.
Punter
Johnny Hekker, Rams
Talk about a weapon on special teams. Hekker is averaging 47.5 yards per punt in 2020, downing a league-high 18 kicks inside the 20-yard line. Just four of his 32 punts resulted in a touchback thus far.
Return specialist
Jakeem Grant, Dolphins
Grant leads all players with 227 punt return yards - 50 more than Deonte Harris, who ranks second. Using his speed and shiftiness in the open field, the Dolphins receiver scored a touchdown last week against the Rams.