Rudolph named to Pro Bowl, replacing Gonzalez

Kyle Rudolph became a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career, replacing the injured Tony Gonzalez for Sunday’s all-star game.

Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph has been named to his first Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez.

Rudolph, in his second season with the Vikings after they selected him in the second round in 2011, had career highs in receptions (53), yards (493) and touchdowns (nine) in 2012. His nine TDs were tied for first among NFC tight ends.

Rudolph started all 16 games regular-season games in 2012, along with the Wild Card playoff game in Green Bay.

Rudolph becomes the first Vikings tight end to make the Pro Bowl since Byron Chamberlain in 2001. He is the sixth Viking selected to the 2012 NFC Pro Bowl team, joining DE Jared Allen, FB Jerome Felton, LB Chad Greenway, RB Adrian Peterson and K Blair Walsh.

---

Tim Yotter is the publisher of Viking Update. Follow Viking Update on Twitter and discuss this topic on our message boards. To become a subscriber to the Viking Update web site or magazine, click here.

---