Khalil Mack had a great year for the Oakland Raiders in 2015, and it’s culminating with unprecedented honors. Mack was voted first-team All-Pro as both a defensive end and linebacker, which is something that no player has ever done, per Pro Football Talk.
A player receiving first-team honors at one position and second-team at another has happened before. Most recently, it happened in 2014 with J.J. Watt who was a first-team defensive end and second-team defensive tackle last season. However, Mack is the first man to earn first-team honors at two different positions.
While the honor is unprecedented, it’s certainly not undeserved.
Mack was tremendous in 2015, recording 15 sacks and forced two fumbles. Perhaps more impressive than the total stats is the fact that the achieved them while playing for a Raiders defense that was generally pretty mediocre. Oakland ranked 22nd in total yards allowed and only 14th in sacks, and Mack was certainly drawing the majority of the opposing offense’s attention.
What’s scary about Mack is that he can definitely get better. He just finished his second year in the NFL and will only be 25 in February. Oakland is also an improving team. With another couple key players on defense, offenses will no longer be able to focus almost exclusively on Mack, which will only open things up more.
If that happens, this will not be the last time that Mack receives dual honors.