Falcons returnman Devin Hester won't be one of the anxious, nail-biting Pro Bowl prospects waiting to be drafted in the green room this year. He's already got a team.
A pre-draft draft of sorts occurred Tuesday and 30 players, including Hester, know which side they'll be on for Sunday's annual all-star game in Arizona.
The Pro Bowl captains this year, Michael Irvin and Cris Carter, focused on defensive tackles, guards, centers, fullbacks and special teams in the early stages of the draft. Per Pro Bowl rules, which state that each team must have one returner, Hester was assigned to Team Carter after Irvin selected Philadelphia's Darren Sproles for the role on his team.
The second half of the Pro Bowl draft will be televised at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday and quarterback Matt Ryan, who was added to the game to replace New England's Tom Brady earlier this week, is the only other Falcons player in the game and who needs a team. Falcons WR Julio Jones was selected to the Pro Bowl, but will not play as he continues to heal from a late-season hip injury.
This is the second year the NFL has held the Pro Bowl in an unconferenced format. With both teams selecting from one pool of players, it potentially pits teammates against one another, so Hester and Ryan could be on opposite teams depending on how the draft shakes out Wednesday night.
Here's a look at each team so far:
Team Carter
Captains: JJ Watt and Antonio Brown
Defensive Tackles: Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams, Dontari Poe
Guards: Mike Pouncey, Josh Sitton, Evan Mathis*
Centers: Maurkice Pouncey, Jason Kelce
Fullbacks: John Kuhn*
Punters: Pat McAfee
Kickers: Cody Parker*
Special Teams: Justin Bethel
Returners: Devin Hester*
Team Irvin
Captains:DeMarco Murray, Joe Haden
Defensive Tackles: Aaron Donald, Sheldon Richardson, Geno AtkinsGuards: Zack Martin, Marshal Yanda, Kyle Long
Centers: Travis Frederick, Nick Mangold
Fullbacks: Marcel Reece
Punters: Kevin Huber*
Kickers: Adam Vinatieri
Special Teams: Darrell Stuckey*
Returners: Darren Sproles
* - Denotes player assigned to team, per Pro Bowl draft rules
