San Francisco 49ers: 5 players with best chances to make the 2019 Pro Bowl

Despite a lowly 2-8 start to the 2018 season, the San Francisco 49ers have more than a few players capable of representing the team in the 2019 Pro Bowl. Here are five strong candidates.

Typically, teams getting close to 10-loss seasons just over the halfway point of any given year struggle to send player representatives to the Pro Bowl once the season is complete. Perhaps one or two standouts, at most, but that’s it.

Fortunately for the 2-8 San Francisco 49ers, more than a handful of players could wind up getting the accolade once 2018 is complete.

Niner Noise already offered up predictions for this before the year even began. Some of the names you’ll see repeated. Others, especially quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon, won’t be getting that nod for obvious injury-related reasons.

The good news, though, is there have been other players not predicted who have risen to the occasion despite the poor record.

In the grand scheme of things, many of these Pro Bowl candidates for San Francisco are the likely building blocks around which the team can continue its reconstruction. That’s a positive. And there are others who, while they may not make the Pro Bowl in 2019, are still worth mentioning.

One such player likely out of the top-five most-possible Niners additions to the Pro Bowl is running back Matt Breida who, for a time, was leading the NFL in both rushing yards and average yards per carry.

He’s still ranked seventh and fourth in each respective category despite being banged up most of the year with various injuries. But like most sports’ all-star games, Breida doesn’t quite have the name recognition. Perhaps he gets in as an alternate, although it’s more of a long shot than anything else.

Veteran kicker Robbie Gould was snubbed last year. That probably repeats too.

A fringe player is rookie right tackle Mike McGlinchey, whom Pro Football Focus listed as the top rookie offensive tackle in the league before Week 10:

McGlinchey has been one of the league’s best run-blocking tackles too, not just among rookies, but all players. That’ll increase his stock, for sure. But as was the case in college, his pass-protection skills could still use some improvement.

And in a pass-happy league, voters and alternate-deciders likely look elsewhere for a candidate.

OK, onto the five 49ers with the best chances of getting a Pro Bowl nod in 2019.