All-Pro
| All-Pro | |
|---|---|
 2016 All-Pro Team
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| Date | 1920 |
| Country | USA |
An All-Pro is an American football player in the National Football League (NFL) voted as one of the best players of their position during a given season. All-Pro players for each position are selected to form an All-Pro team.
Beginning in the early 1920s, All-Pro teams have traditionally been assembled from press polls of individually voting sportswriters. After polling the writers, the votes are tallied to determine the selected players and the results have historically been published through various news syndicates. From 1931 through 1942, the NFL selected its own official All-Pros. Today, the teams are mostly published online or announced on various televised sports programs. Some organizations also include "second-team" All-Pros, designating the runners-up at each position.
The Associated Press (AP) and its All-Pro selections are the most widely recognized today. Other polls include the United Press International All-Pro poll, which began in the 1940s and continued in various forms until 1997, the Newspaper Enterprise Association All-Pro team, which ran from 1954 until 1996, the Pro Football Writers Association All-Pro teams, which were inaugurated in 1966 and continue to be released annually, and the Pro Football Focus All-Pro teams, which began in 2009. All-Pro selection are deemed more prestigious than a selection to the Pro Bowl, the NFL's annual all-star game.
The AP began selecting All-Pros in 1940, and is the longest running annual selector of the top NFL players. The All-Pro Team is an annual selection of the best players in the NFL by position as selected by a national panel of AP media members. Unlike selection to the Pro Bowls prior to 2014, votes are cast for outstanding players by position without consideration for whether the player competes in the American Football Conference (AFC) or National Football Conference (NFC).
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