Nick Bellore is getting an advantage in Pro Bowl voting

On Wednesday, the NFL released early results from fan voting for the Pro Bowl. Among those leading their positions in the NFC is Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and special teamer Nick Bellore.

While there’s no questioning Wilson’s place among the league’s elite, Bellore’s lead at special teams is a little more questionable.

The Athletic’s Greg Auman pointed out a quirk in the voting platform on Thursday, with the Bucs’ beat writer explaining offensive line and special teams are sorted alphabetically instead of by key stats like at other positions.

According to Auman, who obtained the list of the top-10 vote-getters at each position, that quirk heavily influenced voting results at those positions. Seven of the top-10 at offensive tackle are the first seven listed alphabetically. At guard, six of the top-10 are the first six alphabetically and at center, five of the top-10.

It’s even more obvious at Bellore’s special teams, where “the seven guys on the top row of the ballot are ranked 1-3-2-4-7-5-6 out of 32 players,” per Auman. The top two names, alphabetically, are Bellore (leading all special teams with 43,906 votes) and Chris Board (second with 40,379).

Bellore may be having a fine season on special teams, currently second in tackles, but if he gets a Pro Bowl nod in 2020, it appears it will be more a result of his last name and the anonymity of special teams than anything else.