Laken Tomlinson has finally made it to his first Pro Bowl after San Francisco 49ers teammates lobbied for his inclusion for years. Tomlinson will join center Alex Mack as an injury replacement.
The five 49ers players initially selected to the Pro Bowl were defensive Nick Bosa, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and tackle Trent Williams. Bosa and Williams have already opted not to play in the NFL's annual all-star game, which will take place on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Samuel said he plans to participate. However, Williams is recovering from the high-ankle sprain suffered in the Divisional Playoff round against the Green Bay Packers. This past weekend, he played through the injury against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
On Monday, Mack's agency revealed that the offensive lineman was added to the Pro Bowl roster as an alternate.
The Detroit Lions made Tomlinson the No. 28 overall draft pick in 2015. San Francisco traded for the offensive lineman in 2017, and he has become one of the team's most consistent players. Tomlinson has started every game over the past four seasons and is one of the most respected players on offense.
Tomlinson is scheduled to become a free agent in March but hopes to return to the 49ers.
"I love it here," Tomlinson told reporters on Monday. "I kind of watched myself develop into the man, the player, the husband, and the father, the character that I am today, and it all started with getting traded here to the 49ers. I owe a lot of thank yous to a lot of people that had faith in me here.
"I would love to stay, but I know it's a business, and we'll just see what happens. But I love it here, I always loved it here, and everyone's been great to me here."
