Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. Jackson then moved on to Atlanta just after the collapse of the Mike Smith playoff teams but before the rise of the current Dan Quinn contenders. Mills was a USFL All-Star in all three seasons of the league's existence, and he led the Philadelphia and Baltimore Stars' Doghouse Defense (coached by Jim Mora) to a pair of league titles. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. WebDon't hesitate to comment below with underrated players who you believe should have been on this list. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf never seems to have his name mentioned. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. "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. McLaurins numbers through two-plus seasons are very similar to Stefon Diggs, who went through a similar quarterback situation early during his career in Minnesota. White: 12 underrated players; White: 12 overrated players; Towers: Generic vs. Name Brand; Prospect hunting . McLaurins route running continues to improve while routinely making contested catches look easy. A new generation of superstar left tackles entered the league as Brown was peaking, and he spent the latter half of his career bouncing from team to team as Tony Boselli, Willie Roaf, Orlando Pace, Jonathan Ogden and Walter Jones turned the blindside protector into an almost glamorous position. Still, Allen rarely gets respect as a true number one wideout. Ken Griffey Jr.? But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. In 10 of the 12 seasons in which he started at least half their games, the Seahawks prevailed more times than not. By the time Rivers is retired for five years, the "San Diego Chargers" will be as relevant as the Dayton Triangles, and Hall voters will be too busy rubber-stamping Tom Brady and Drew Brees to get to a guy from a lost city who couldn't win the big one. He was an All-Pro for the Orange Crush defenses of the 1970s, and then he stuck around to play for the 1986 Broncos Super Bowl team. He picked off a dozen passes in his career two of them at 38 years of age an absurd number for a 6-foot-4, 265-pound lineman. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. Hes on the short list of running back leaders in yards per rush (4.6, 17th), touches (2,824, 25th) and yards from scrimmage (14,079, 35th) in NFL history. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Bates started every game during his first three seasons since entering the league in 2018, recording three interceptions in each season and averaging over 100 tackles. Defensive Player of the Year awards? Bottom line: Adam Vinatieri was money in the postseason, but Matt Bahr was even better. But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. Ronald Koeman is a bonafide legend of Dutch football. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. He led the Bengals to a pair of playoff appearances in 1973 and 1975, Joe Montana's high school senior and Notre Dame sophomore seasons. TGT Play! Odds Deals Podcasts US USA Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. WebThis list is for those players the ones who were great football players and did not get the credit they deserve. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. TGT Tips! Shanahan uses Juszczyk as a traditional lead blocking back, but he provides plenty of versatility out of the backfield and with the ball in his hands. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. But no one remembers the Greatest Show on Turf for its defense, and Fletcher spent the prime of his career playing for mediocre Bills teams. He routinely beat defenders with quickness out of his breaks and clever change-of-pace moves, qualities that also served him well as a punt returner. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. 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. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. Jordi Alba. They're the working stiffs who bust their butts at so-called lesser positions, on teams that are seldom seen on highlights shows, let alone national television. Sutton hauled in 72 catches for 1,112 yards during his second season in the league before a knee injury cut short his 2020campaign after 1 game. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. Meet every NFL team's all-time most underrated player. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. Ryan would blitz between five and eight defenders, plus some water boys and maybe a few boo birds from the 700 level of Veterans Stadium. Randy Gradishar. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. 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. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. Steve Atwater. After making the Pro Bowl twice early in his career, David has failed to make it since 2015 while still playing at a high level. 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. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. It takes bad timing and bad luck. 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. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. 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. Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, "KO for Ken Norton.". 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. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Put him on the Tom Brady-led Patriots, and Mason might have invented a new branch of mathematics. 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. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. 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. We look at the 10 most underrated players in football at the moment. 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. A dominant presence as a run blocker, Moton uses his athleticism to get to the next level of the defense in a hurry. Mason was frequently his team's most valuable offensive player, but he and Steve McNair made their short pitch-and-catch passes look a little too easy. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. Mason also caught 49 postseason passes and was one of the game's best return men for a few years. Year after year, Chandler Jones is one of the best pure pass rushers in football. Playing in Detroit can stifle any career. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. 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 Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. 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. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. WebA key ingredient of arguably the best back four to grace the game Mauro Tassoti, him, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini the Milan central defender made more than 450 ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). He was a eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion. Karl Mecklenburg. 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. Wright earned a second-team All-1970s nod from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even though several of his signature years were in the 1980s. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. 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. To make our list, a player must contribute to a winning effort while putting up bad stats, misunderstood stats or no stats. 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. Teammates Alan Page and Carl Ellar were held in higher regard. Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." Hull never lived to see himself make a Hall of Fame semifinalist list, as he died of liver failure at age 50 in 2011. Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins. He isn't the dynamic threat thatTyreek Hill orDavante Adams are, but Allen is an elite route runner that consistently puts up elite production. ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. "Even now I still get pissed off. But the diminutive Brees would not have been able to lead the Saints to a Super Bowl and several seasons as top contenders without a clean pocket, particularly right in front of him. His 23 fourth-quarter comebacks (20th overall) are more than Dan Fouts, Jim Kelly, Sonny Jurgensen and Bart Starr, to name a few Hall of Famers at the position. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. That may tick him off. 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. Following a strong start to 2021, McLaurin is slowly beginning to earn the respect his game deserves. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. While 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. As a pass blocker, Moton has developed into a steady presence capable of holding his own, and at times even dominating top pass rushers that include Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan. While the 2021 season is still early, Johnson looks to have cleaned up some issues with drops that hindered his 2020 performance and is perhaps the only thing stopping him from gaining more notoriety. Allen made a lot of plays. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. C'mon, who doesn't love Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert? Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. Bottom line: Warrick Dunn overcame the murder of his mother, bouts with depression and 5-foot-9 size to have a successful 12-year NFL career. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, 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. WebThe Top 10 Most Underrated Football Players of All Time 1. Hull was not just a great lineman but a groundbreaking one. Measurables. Off to a fast start in 2021, Sutton is quickly reminding opposing defenses of his talent. Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. So Anderson cranked out a few 1,000-yard seasons and played in some Pro Bowls, and that was that. Bottom line: The 1970s Steelers won four Super Bowls two with a power run game, two with a potent pass attack and who better than Jon Kolb to do the heavy lifting? Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. There is one football player who could score from literally anywhere, and his name is 2. Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. Player A passed for 27,928 yards and 194 touchdowns and ran for four touchdowns with mostly very good teams and one great one. After spending a season on the practice squad and injured-reserve with the Jets, Franklin-Myers made the most of his opportunities as a rotational player throughout most of 2020, leading to a starting role in 2021 and a massive $55M extension. 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. Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Pro Bowl appearances: Four (1979, 1980, 1986, 1987). They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. But Wright never posted massive interception totals, and his teams ended up on the receiving end of a pair of Super Bowl beatings. He led his team to an NFL championship. Travis Kelce and George Kittle dominate the conversation at tight end but Darren Waller is quickly emerging as a name that should be discussed as well. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. Since 2013, Jones has registered six double-digit sack seasons including a 17 sack season in 2017 that led the NFL, and a career-high of 19 in 2019. 1. One of the most underrated players in AM Football, Brodie Croyle was drafted into the NFL by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006 after being a college football standout with the University of Alabama. 100-91). McDole, nicknamed "The Dancing Bear" because of his boogie on the dance floor rather than his on-field footwork, was known as more of a run defender than a pass-rusher. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. In an era when 50 percent completion rates and 20-interception seasons were common for Pro Bowl quarterbacks, Anderson's 64.9 percent completion rate and quarterback ratings above 90 look like temporal anomalies.
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