While he made PFF’s All-Pro Team, Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee was arguably snubbed from the AP’s 2016 NFL All-Pro Teams.
Despite leading the league in gross punting average at 49.3 yards per punt, McAfee (2 votes) was passed over on the AP’s 1st-team by Los Angeles Rams punter Johnny Hekker (42 votes) and on the 2nd-team by the Oakland Raiders Marquette King (4 votes).
It’s worth noting that Hekker was a deserving choice in his own right, as the Rams’ punter led the league with a 46.0 net yards per punt average. However, McAfee ranked just behind him with the NFL’s 3rd highest average at a 42.7 net yards per punt average.
Where Hekker likely received the nod over McAfee is by placing a league-leading 51 punts inside the 20-yard line, whereas McAfee finished 27th with just 19 such punts (although a handful were botched by his special teams coverage units near the goal line).
However, McAfee still finished with a higher gross punting average and net average yards per punt than King and should’ve made the 2nd-team over his star punting counterpart.
As a jack-of-all-trades for the Colts special teams units, McAfee also handles kickoffs and holding duties for placekicker Adam Vinatieri, which makes him incredibly invaluable.
McAfee’s snub was likely a byproduct of the Colts mediocre 8-8 record compared to the Raiders 12-4 mark. Players on superior teams are simply rewarded with the accolades when push comes to shove and everything is relatively close.
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As it stands, McAfee remains a 1x All-Pro (2014) and a 2x Pro Bowler–having been voted in this season over King for the AFC squad.
Other Colts who fell short of being named to the AP’s 2016 All-Pro team, but could’ve realistically received at least a vote or two were quarterback Andrew Luck and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton–who instead received none.