The NFL announced official 2019 Pro Bowl rosters Tuesday evening, and the San Francisco 49ers have two players in the initial roster for the postseason all star game, and three alternates. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk is a starter and tight end George Kittle is a reserve. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, kicker Robbie Gould, and linebacker (specialist) Mark Nzeocha were selected as alternates. The game is scheduled for Sunday, January 27th in Orlando, Florida, with kickoff set for 12:00 p.m. PT on ABC and ESPN.
It is always worth noting that rosters will change between now and January 27, when the Pro Bowl goes down in Orlando. Injuries and “injuries” will result in players dropping out. Whomever is playing in Super Bowl 53 the following week will drop out as well. There is a decent chance one or two more 49ers are added in after the fact.
This marks Juszczyk’s third straight appearance in the Pro Bowl. He is a standout fullback, and considering the move away from the position for a lot of teams, it is not surprising he was easily elected a starter.
Kittle has had a breakout sophomore season and rightfully earned his first Pro Bowl nod. He set the 49ers single season and single game records for tight end receiving yards. He is third among all tight ends in receptions and second in receiving yards. Both he and Travis Kelce have a chance at breaking Rob Gronkowski’s single season record for tight end receiving yards.
If an injury replacement is needed, this would mark Buckner’s first Pro Bowl appearance, and comes as he is in the midst of the best season of his career. Buckner has 11 sacks and is second on the team with 60 total tackles. Considering how the NFL is evolving into a pass-first league, a defensive tackle with that many tackles is crazy. He is third among all defensive linemen.
Nzeocha is a specialist alternate thanks in large part to a monster voter turnout from Germany. Nzeocha was born in Germany and is the first German-born Pro Bowler after NFL Germany fans and media mobilized for Nzeocha. He currently leads the 49ers in special teams snaps while also playing the SAM linebacker position.
Gould has one Pro Bowl under his belt, way back in 2006.