San Francisco 49ers could break record for most Pro Bowlers in a season

The San Francisco 49ers are considered by many to be the best team in the NFL this year and their roster is loaded. They have an MVP candidate at quarterback and the biggest argument against his MVP case is that the team around him is too talented.

Well, the Pro Bowl voting updates are only adding more fuel to that fire. The 49ers are leading the NFC at ten different positions.

Who are the ten 49ers?

• QB Brock Purdy

• RB Christian McCaffrey

• FB Kyle Juszczyk

• TE George Kittle

• OT Trent Williams

• DE Nick Bosa

• DT Javon Hargrave

• ILB Fred Warner

• P Mitch Wishnowsky

• LS Taybor Pepper

What is the record for most Pro Bowlers in a season?

The most Pro Bowlers ever on a single team in one season is 12. Both the 1973 Dolphins and 2019 Ravens had 12 players named to the Pro Bowl.

The Dolphins were fresh off their undefeated season. It was no wonder that the team earned so much recognition in the Pro Bowl. The 2019 Ravens did not experience an undefeated season but were the AFC's top seed that year, earning a 14-2 record. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was named the MVP that year. He would also go on to win the Pro Bowl MVP that year.

Will the Niners have 12 Pro Bowlers?

That depends on a few things. Most notably, whether or not the 49ers reach the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl is played before the Super Bowl. Thusly, players participating in the Super Bowl do not play in the game in order to give themselves more time to prepare for their opponent and to avoid injury.

Technically speaking, the 49ers could still have 12 people named to the Pro Bowl; they just wouldn't attend. However, the 49ers would have a much better chance of having 12 players reach the Pro Bowl if they didn't reach the Super Bowl, because whoever represents the NFC would not be sending their players to the Pro Bowl and more 49ers could replace them.

What other Niners could earn a Pro Bowl nod?

Outside of the ten players leading the NFC at their positions, the Niners do have several other players who could still become Pro Bowlers. We were given an update on Pro Bowl voting on December 13. While the results could have changed drastically since then, they did reveal the top-ten at each position, and there are several more Niners lurking near the top spots.

As you can see, the Niners have 15 players in the top-ten vote getters at their positions. Here are their ranks in the NFC.

• C Jake Brendel (2nd in NFC)

• CB Charvarius Ward (2nd in NFC)

• CB Deommodore Lenoir (4th in NFC)

• DE Chase Young (2nd in NFC)

• DT Arik Armstead (3rd in NFC)

• FS Tashaun Gipson (3rd in NFC)

• OG Aaron Banks (2nd in NFC)

• OG Spencer Burford (4th in NFC)

• ILB Dre Greenlaw (3rd in NFC)

• K Jake Moody (4th in NFC)

• OLB Oren Burks (6th in NFC)

• RS Ray-Ray McCloud (3rd in NFC)

• OT Colton McKivitz (6th in NFC)

• WR Brandon Aiyuk (5th in NFC)

• WR Deebo Samuel (6th in NFC)

The only position where they didn't have a single player in the top-ten was strong safety, which is largely because the team's starter Talanoa Hufanga got hurt in the 49ers' Week 11 game against Tampa Bay. He is out for the remainder of the season.

Do all of these players deserve their spot in the top-ten? Probably not. Oren Burks is the most obvious culprit. Burks has played only 31 percent of defensive snaps for the 49ers, and has zero sacks on the year. He's been more of a special teamer than anything else.

What team has the next number of Pro Bowlers?

The Miami Dolphins are right behind the 49ers in this category. They had nine players at the top of the AFC of their positions. However, unlike the 49ers the Dolphins do not have a player in the top-ten at as many positions. The Dolphins could very well break the record themselves but if both the Niners and Dolphins fail to reach the Super Bowl, the 49ers will almost certainly have more players representing them in Orlando.

When does voting for the Pro Bowl end?

Voting for the Pro Bowl ends on December 25. You can vote for your favorite players to reach the Pro Bowl here.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 49ers near Pro Bowl record with 10 players leading the NFC in votes