After Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was added to the Pro Bowl, teammate and All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack took to Twitter and inferred that he didn’t want to be on the same team.
Pro Bowl squads aren’t split by conference any longer, setting up the possibility that Mack could force his good friend from the pocket.
“Let me only get one sack, just so I can say I did it,” Mack tweeted in a joking manner.
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Mack won’t get that chance. Mack and Carr were selected on the same team. That happened on Wednesday night during the Pro Bowl draft, where honorary captains Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin in anticipation of Sunday’s NFL all-star game at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii.
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Mack and Carr were early selections by Rice, a former 49ers and Raiders receiver widely considered the best ever at his position.
Mack, a first-team All-Pro at defensive end and outside linebacker, was the first defender off the board. Carr was the second quarterback on Rice’s squad.
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Those two will be joined by receiver Amari Cooper, selected a few rounds later due to a strong rookie season and his natural chemistry with Carr.
The Raiders were represented by five players, who were taken as the draft wore on.
While Mack won’t have a chance to tackle Carr, he’ll get a shot at running back Latavius Murray. Murray was the last running back available and ended up on Irvin’s team.
Safeties were almost all late picks, but Woodson was Mr. Irrelevant in his exhibition. He was slotted to Jerry Rice’s team, leaving Murray as the only Raider on the other sideline.