Sam Mills rises above the rest of the gritty linebacker pack, at least when it comes to being underrated, because three of his greatest seasons have been erased from history. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. The 6'2" Wright was renowned as a run-stuffing cornerbackthat's him tackling Walter Payton in the photobut he also intercepted 26 career passes, even though opposing quarterbacks spent much of his career avoiding him. Six All-Pro selections. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. Randy Gradishar. Evans, the best pass-protecting guard of his era, was charged with making sure pass-rushers didn't get close enough to Brees to bat his passes down, let alone sack him. And because versatility is his calling card, he'll never produce gaudy sack totals or climb any all-time leaderboards. WebDespite being just 20-years-old, Pedri has become a key player for Barcelona The midfielder names his former teammate Lionel Messi as the 'best' ever He hopes to Then it was off to Carolina, where he earned an All-Pro selection for leading the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game as a second-year expansion team during his age-37 season. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Ellard moved on to Washington in 1994 and enjoyed a late-career renaissance, averaging 61 catches and 18.8 yards per reception over a three-year span in his mid-30s. Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). Every NFL teams most underrated player of all time - FanSided Super Bowl victories? Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. Deion Jones is one interception away from tying the all-time record for pick 6's by a linebacker, and he's done it in a fraction of the games. Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. Some of the 19 Steve Atwater. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? most underrated player of all time Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Pro Bowl appearances: Four (1979, 1980, 1986, 1987). Know who created those wide-open spaces? Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. Whether they were disrespected by the media, or scrappy fan-favorites, every NFL team has had a selection of players that didnt get the attention they deserved. Greenwood, but there are dozens of other great old players clamoring for their chance who didn't enjoy the glory of playing for a "team of the decade.". By the time the 49ers are great again, Bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team. He reached the playoffs as a rookie backup in 2004 and a 32-year-old backup in 2015, but zero times in the decade in between. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. A dominant presence as a run blocker, Moton uses his athleticism to get to the next level of the defense in a hurry. Along with Devin White, David was all over the field making plays around the ball and was one of the more valuable players in shutting down the Chiefs offense in the Super Bowl. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. A Hall of Fame voter once warned me that "every town has its linebacker.". In the nine seasons that Aaron Smith had double-digit starts, their D ranked among the top nine in yards allowed every time, but his consistent play went over the heads of many. According to Next Gen Stats, Johnson averaged 3.6 yards of separation for each target during his rookie season, the most of any receiver in football. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Day 2 Recap (Fantasy Football) WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. Raphael Guerreiro - Borussia Dortmund. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. 'Nuff said, right? 100-91). Smith wasnt a no-show on third-and-long, either. Upon entering the league in 2019, Johnson recorded 59 catches as a rookie and then topped that mark in 2020 with 88 catches. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. Make no mistake about it, Eric Bieniemys exodus from Kansas City to Washington is only one move on the chess board But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. McLaurin registered 87 catches in 2020 after 58 during his rookie season in 2019. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. Allen made a lot of plays. And few were better at making opposing quarterbacks pay for mistakes. He isn't the dynamic threat thatTyreek Hill orDavante Adams are, but Allen is an elite route runner that consistently puts up elite production. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. Ken Griffey Jr.? Norton made the key play of the game in the second period, when he stood up Buffalo Bills back Kenneth Davis mere inches from the goal line. David entered the league as a terrific coverage linebacker and has continued to grow into an all-around complete linebacker and playmaker. While under the radar, Bates has emerged as one of the better all-around safeties in football. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. Tom Nalen protected John Elway in a pair of Super Bowl victories and helped trigger a zone-blocking revolution as part of Alex Gibbs' influential offensive lines. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. Most Underrated Time has been hard on both of them. Franklin-Myers went from fourth-round draft choice of the Rams in 2018, to a final roster cut in 2019. Photo by JOHN CAPUTO/AFP via Getty Images, ST. LOUIS, MO CIRCA 1980: Ed Jones #72 of the Dallas Cowboys gets blocked by Dan Dierdorf #72 of the St. Louis Cardinals during an NFL football game circa 1980 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Defensive Player of the Year awards? This list begins with a quarterback who is preparing to play in the 2015 NFL regular season. Beachum has lined up at both left and right tackle but displayed original sound - ftbl vids 221. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. He had the speed to get to the edge and beat defenders down the sideline, the power to plow through tackles, the elusiveness to make things happen in the open field and receiving chops to rival contemporaries Roger Craig or Thurman Thomas. Guys who played in Jacksonville repeatedly have been crapped on in Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame votes, none more so than Taylor during and after his 11 seasons there. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. Evans is a long shot to do either, which is a shame. He must either play for teams so good that they overshadow his accomplishments, or teams so bad that he had to do it all by himself. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. C'mon, who doesn't love Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert? MOST UNDERRATED PLAYERS OF ALL TIME But so were teammates like Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Curley Culp and Jan Stenerud, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame. Those who like to shout "first-ballot Hall of Famer" about Rivers do not know how the Hall of Fame works. Mike Kenn began his career playing left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense. A longtime semifinalist, his case is about to be handed over to the Veterans Committee, which has done a fine job recently of correcting oversights from Kenn's era. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. Bottom line: Wilber Marshall was the most athletic and versatile linebacker with the legendary 1985 Bears defense he often replaced the celebrated Mike Singletary in pass situations. 1. Overshadowed on a bad team for much of his early career, Bates also came from a draft that featured top safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. So whaddya say, fans? The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. Young started his career as the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and ended it as a four-time winner of the Len Eshmont Award, the 49ers' team award for character and leadership. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. "Underrated" is in the eye of the beholder, so let's establish some ground rules for these rankings: After that, players are ranked based how underappreciated they are, not how great they are. Despite his incredibly high waist seriously, check out his build Kelvin Beachum has been one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL. At age 25, Franklin-Myers seems to be just scratching the surface of his potential and should benefit from some additional pieces being added to a young rebuilding Jets defense. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. Fred Warner gets a lot of attention at linebacker for the 49ers, but Dre Greenlaw flies under theradar as a young playmaker quickly on the rise. Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. No, what youll see are lots of gaping holes the size of Boulder. Coaches rave about his work off the field and his dedication to improving his craft. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. McDole was a starting defensive end for two of history's legendary defenses: the AFL champion Buffalo Bills of 1964 and '65 and Washington's "Over-the-Hill Gang" of the early 1970s. Bottom line: The Greatest Show On Turf boasted so much star power you couldnt tell the other Rams without a program. WebWhile every fan base is sure to have two or three names they feel are undervalued and worthy of this list, here are my current top ten underrated players in the NFL. "No one was going to catch no ball.". Dont let the numbers fool you Morgan wasnt a one-trick racehorse. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. On this All-Underrated list, he is in very good company. Without Kenn, there might not be free agency in the NFL, to say nothing of limitations on practice conditions and other initiatives that make pro football less dangerous than it was decades ago. Gheorghe Hagi, Romania. But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep Guide: Rankings, tiers, sleepers A Super Bowl ring and two AFL championships. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. It's hard for a running back to be underrated. Most underrated NFL players on all Measurables. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. He then became a staple of trivia questions and All-Time Worst Trades listicles, as the Lawrence Welk trade overshadowed an even more impressive moment in Hadl's transaction history. Its hard to think of a player more dominant and less talked about over a long period of time than Chandler Jones. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. There will never be another player like Marshall. The correct answer is Player A (Ken Stabler), and if youre Player B (Brodie), you have to wonder if one Super Bowl should make that much difference. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. Following a strong start to 2021, McLaurin is slowly beginning to earn the respect his game deserves. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. Bahr converted 84 percent of his field-goal attempts (21 of 25), and 98 percent of his extra-point tries (40 of 41) when it counted most. Passing wasn't really their thing. Jones topped the 100 career sack total in week one of 2021, a five-sack day that tied a Cardinals franchise record and set a personal career-best. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. NFL No one plays guard expecting fame and accolades, least of all Wisniewski, who is worthy of all the gritty cliches you can sling at him. Off to a fast start in 2021, Sutton is quickly reminding opposing defenses of his talent. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. Mike Williams is an elite deep threat at wide receiver and has maintained an average YPC of over 15 every year since 2018. Buckner is rarely discussed with the likes of Cameron Heyward, Fletcher Cox, or Grady Jarrett among the top interior defensive linemen (next tier behind Aaron Donald), but he is every bit as talented. In 10 of the 12 seasons in which he started at least half their games, the Seahawks prevailed more times than not. Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. But the run-'n'-shoot took away more than it provided, and the early 1990s Lions kept getting obliterated by better defenses in the playoffs. New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. 20 Most Underrated Footballers on the Planet - Bleacher Report To understand why he is not in the Hall of Fame, you must familiarize yourself with both the era he played in and the vagaries of Hall voting. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. In Dierdorfs second to last season, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Packers 41-16 in their playoff opener. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. Bates is a ball-hawking safety in coverage with excellent range, intelligence, and athleticism. Slot specialists such as Julian Edelman and Victor Cruz are now considered valuable components to the modern passing game. Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. At only 510, Johnson lacks the ideal size. Anchoring defenses with catchy names like the "Orange Crush?" most underrated players in football at He accounted for all his teams points in a 15-13 white-knuckler that wrecked the 49ers three-peat bid and sent the Giants to Super Bowl XXV. That voter meant every fanbase has a beloved old defender, renowned for his toughness and leadership, that they swear belongs in the Hall of Fame. Truth is, Norton should have been Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player, not Troy Aikman, who was the obligatory quarterback pick. Quarterback is the most important position in organized football and maybe in all of sports, so it should be no surprise that men who play QB dominate the top spots of this list. It was the era of great defensive lines with catchy namesthe Rams had the Fearsome Foursome, the Cowboys the Doomsday Defense, the Steelers later added the Steel Curtain, and so forthand Marshall was the Ringo Starr of the Purple People Eaters, the guy who once ran the wrong way for a touchdown and was happy just to be in the band. Kolb set the Super Bowl standard for left tackles in Super Bowl IV, when he smoked undersized Minnesota Vikings end Jim Marshall like a bad cigar. Ronald Koeman. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. 1. But run defense was king in the era when McDole played, and his 16-year career is littered with big plays: 12 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, two touchdowns, three safeties and a pair of sacks in the 1966 AFL Championship Game. The 49ers are installing a new system and reshaping their roster. Super Bowl championships: Two (2005, 2008). Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. Brown did one thing terribly wrong in 18 NFL seasons, but for his teams to win as often as they did, he must have done an awful lot more right. The best we can offer is a little bit of credit where a lot is due. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" Meet every NFL team's all-time most underrated player. This commitment to team defense is perhaps one of the main reasons Buckner is not more recognized as one of the top interior defensive linemen in football. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. Steve Wisniewski played guard on a Raiders team that moved in the middle of his career and was just good enough to remind you it was not in the same class as the great Raiders teams that preceded it. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). Top 10 most underrated NFL players: Justin Tucker, Keenan Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks The most underrated player on all 32 NFL teams Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) runs with the ball while being tackled by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters (24) in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Taylor Moton has quietly emerged as a dominant presence at right tackle for the Panthers. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. They say you know an offensive lineman is doing a great job when his name is rarely brought up, but its time Moton is talked about more for his success. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. MVP-caliber seasons (1,528 yards, 90 receptions, 16 total touchdowns in 2006) early in his career gave way to annual 1,100-1,200 yard, low-touchdown grinds as the Greatest Show Rams retired one by one and the team fell to 2-14 and 1-15. During his first four seasons, three with the Ravens and one in Oakland, Waller caught just 18 passes on 29 targets while also being suspended all of 2017. Mills looks like just another local hero linebacker in the encyclopedias, albeit a good one. Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. With 4.35 speed, McLaurin can take the top off any defense but has also rounded out the rest of his game since his time at Ohio State. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. Ron McDole falls into that final category. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. This past offseason, Juszczyk signed a five-year $27M contract to return to the 49ers, making him the highest-paid fullback in football by a wide margin. With that in mind, NFL It takes more than mere greatness to be considered one of the most underrated players in pro football history. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands. When London Fletcher retired after the 2014 season, Robert Klemko of The MMQBasked him if he was motivated by feeling underappreciated for most of his career. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. Jones has also recorded at least 100 tackles every year since entering the league with the exception of 2018 when he played in only 6 games. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. He also had some of the clutch gene. Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. "I dont get it. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. Buckner is a smart player and one of the better-run defenders in football. Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. The most underrated player on all But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. No one else is even close. WebWhile positional drills may be more indicative of a player's success in the NFL, other events like the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and bench press are less obvious. Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. WebDuring the next few weeks, we here at NFL.com will unveil our Most Underrated and Overrated Players of All Time for all 32 teams and allow users to determine their But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. Franklin-Myers has the ability to play anywhere on the defensive line and is off to a strong start in the Jets' new 4-3 defense under head coach Robert Saleh.