Of this year's Pro Bowl snubs, New Orleans Saints left tackle Terron Armstead is perhaps the most anonymous to casual football fans.
On a cap-strapped roster with few obvious building blocks, however, Armstead has emerged as one of coach Sean Payton's favorites.
"There's not a left tackle I would trade him for in the league," Payton said this week, via ESPN.com. "I really like the way he's progressed. He's smart, he's athletic. And last week if you watch the tape, you can see that he's not 100 percent and he fights through it."
Although he blew the doors off the NFL Scouting Combine with an astonishing showcase of athleticism, Armstead was viewed as a developmental prospect coming out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
In his third NFL season, Armstead ranks behind only Tyron Smith of the Cowboys and Joe Thomas of the Browns in Pro Football Focus' tackle grades.
Just 24 years old, Armstead should have many trips to the Pro Bowl in his future.
