Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins. 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. Quarterback ratings for Washington skyrocket when targeting McLaurin, who has become a nightmare to defend with the ball in his hands after the catch. most underrated nfl players On this All-Underrated list, he is in very good company. If he started his career a decade earlier or a decade later, Young would have anchored the defense for one of history's great teams or helped push the Harbaugh 49ers over the top in the Super Bowl. Allen made a lot of plays. The best teams in the AFL proved to be NFL-caliber, but the bottom of the league was populated with a nearly bankrupt franchise or two, so the best players clumped on the best teams and stood out from the crowd. Jordi Alba. Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Pro Bowl appearances: Four (1979, 1980, 1986, 1987). 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. 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. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. Coaches rave about his work off the field and his dedication to improving his craft. 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. Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. 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. Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, "KO for Ken Norton.". 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. Most Underrated NFL Players Of All Time - The Onion 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. Once an arbitrary number of players from a historic team get enshrined, the committee moves on in search of underappreciated players from other franchises. Off to a fast start in 2021, Sutton is quickly reminding opposing defenses of his talent. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. An ever-growing backlog of outstanding safeties is queuing up outside Canton, as Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed will soon joinJohn Lynch and Brian Dawkins. One of the most well-traveled quarterbacks in NFL history, Vinny Testaverde hung around long enough to register the seventh-most passing yards ever in his 20-year career. 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. 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 25 Feb/23. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. 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. If not for Schlereth's many health problems that included 29 surgeries, 15 on his left knee alone, he would have been a perennial Pro Bowl selection. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. If Isiah Robertson is famous at all, it's for being "posterized" by Earl Campbell in one of the most famous NFL Films highlights of all time. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. He played left tackle in 1972 and moved to right tackle in 1974. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. It would rank 16th all-time, except that if we allow Marshall's sacks into the record, we would have to make room for Deacon Jones, Mean Joe Greene and others. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. Meet every NFL team's all-time most underrated player. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. Theyre the core players who are overshadowed by more well-paid, high-profile teammates and just plain pathetic, shameless self-promoters. With his career spread evenly across three teams and zero All-Pro selections (a consequence of playing in the same era as Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher), Fletcher is a Hall of Fame long shot. The most similar current player to Anderson is Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell, but Bell plays in a modern offense that amplifies his production instead of suppressing it. For years, the team couldn't even harken back to its glory days properly, as Smith's Pride of the Jaguars induction was delayed until he was sober and no longer under house arrest. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. Put Ellard in another era or even the AFC with an accomplished quarterback, and his legacy as The Best Wideout Not Named Jerry Rice would be that much greater. Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. He isn't the dynamic threat thatTyreek Hill orDavante Adams are, but Allen is an elite route runner that consistently puts up elite production. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. But c'mon: 289 regular-season and postseason starts, 127 sacks and four Super Bowl appearances, yet the Hall of Fame turns up its nose at Marshall as just a pretty good defender with a long career? No, what youll see are lots of gaping holes the size of Boulder. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. The fullback has become a non-factor in many of todays NFL offenses, but Juszczyk remains an integral part of how the San Francisco 49ers run their offense. If Marlon McCree hadn't fumbled that interception in the playoffs after the 2006 season, everything might have been different. Wide receiver Chase Claypool stole headlines as a rookie in 2020, while teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster always seems to attract headlines one way or another. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. 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. The Top 20 Most Underrated NFL Players - ONE37pm Put him on the Tom Brady-led Patriots, and Mason might have invented a new branch of mathematics. Tom Jackson. Teams: Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Houston Oilers, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1986, 1987, 1992), Super Bowl championships: Two (1985, 1991). 10 Most Underrated Football Players - Sports Al Dente Bottom line: Terrell Davis rushed for 2,008 yards in his momentous 1998 season, but look at the game films and you wont see him fake out many defenders or break many tackles. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Williams' career-high in receptions is only 49, but with increased targets, he has already recorded 31 catches over the first five games in 2021. Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. 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. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. There will never be another player like Marshall. 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. Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. He played for teams that were more interesting than outstanding, from the Ryan and Rich Kotite-era Eagles to the Jim Mora and Mike Ditka Saints to Jon Gruden's Raiders. In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. 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. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. 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. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. Make no mistake about it, Eric Bieniemys exodus from Kansas City to Washington is only one move on the chess board 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. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. Two names that are familiar to even casual football fans sit atop the mountaintop of underrated NFL players for the 2015 regular season. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. Ellard was an Antonio Brown-level talent in his prime, but his teams were in no hurry to get him the ball. He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). 10. But Wright never posted massive interception totals, and his teams ended up on the receiving end of a pair of Super Bowl beatings. Most Underrated Antoine Griezmann is known for his excellent left foot and can score and create goals with it; hence, he is one of the best left-footed midfielders. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). Here is every NFL teams most underrated player of all time. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. Web113 Likes, TikTok video from FootWorld (@lovingfootbal): "The most underrated player of all time #dimaria #football". Allen has much in common with many others on this underrated list. 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? Regardless of the Cardinals struggles, Dierdorf was a star. His franchises just kept ending up on the wrong side of history. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. Lets not forget they also dominated with cold-blooded efficiency at the other side of the ball, where Keena Turner was rarely out of position at right outside linebacker. And no Hall of Famers allowed. Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles in football. He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. top 20 Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Jerry Rice and John Taylor may have been the greatest receiving tandem of that era, but Ellard and Flipper Anderson were the most explosive pair of deep threats. 1. He played center, as well, before his career was over. Not Fred Dean. Not enough credit is given to Waller who lacks the Shanahan offense or elite QB to help take his game to the next level. Man Utd's double winning No modern coach suppressed passing offenses quite like Fisher, and no team produces offensive stats that look like they come from the early 1930s quite like the Ravens. Cooke is the most underrated player in the sport, performing mostly in the wonderful but considerable shadows of Boston, Staleys grand personality and all the noise at Colonial Life Arena. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mason also caught 49 postseason passes and was one of the game's best return men for a few years. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. Ronald Koeman. Also, the field was often a block of ice. Those who like to shout "first-ballot Hall of Famer" about Rivers do not know how the Hall of Fame works. 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. And none of them produce the numbers he generated in less hospitable systems. If the soft-spoken scatback had been in the right place at the right time, he would have filled his one nagging void a Super Bowl title and the exposure that accompanied it. How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. 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. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. 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. The converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. most underrated player of all time 1. He announced his retirement from pro football in 2010, not long after signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Oakland Raiders. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. And then there is plain old forgotten. 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. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. Although it is tough to put a second-year player on this list as underrated when he is still relatively unproven, Laviska Shenault has such a unique skill set at wide receiver that will quickly start to garner more attention. They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. 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. "Because when the ball was thrown, I knew I had better ball skills and would go up and get it.". The Cardinals were 0-3 in the playoffs in Dierdorfs time with the team, and none of the games were particularly close. But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. Ten of the most underrated footballers of all time Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). 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. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? Sad to say, Morgan was woefully miscast in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly time. THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYERS OF ALL TIME - YouTube Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. His teams averaged 392.0 yards and 34.0 points in those games. We look at the 10 most underrated players in football at the moment. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). Upon entering the league in 2019, Johnson recorded 59 catches as a rookie and then topped that mark in 2020 with 88 catches. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. You will find some familiar Hall of Fame snubs on this list (like Jim Marshall, pictured above), but also plenty of players who were even snubbed from the Hall of Fame snubs, plus some current players who aren't getting their due. Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. 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. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. WebDon't hesitate to comment below with underrated players who you believe should have been on this list. Jerry Hughes has been a consistent pass rusher and important piece to the Buffalo Bills defense. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. Feyenoord v VVV Venlo - Eredivisie. Brown is now best known as a television personality. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. 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. Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. The Most Underrated Spanish Player Of All Time? - YouTube 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. "I dont get it. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? Along with the legendary Johnny Unitas, Rote probably did more to change the quarterback position than anyone in the pre-merger era even if so few know it. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. During his time at Fiorentina, he was the best player, 2. 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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 He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, acquired the 34-year-old Rams quarterback by, Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images, Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. The least glamorous position on the field, a so-so team, a franchise moveWisniewski pulled three lemons on the recognition slot machine. Franklin-Myers went from fourth-round draft choice of the Rams in 2018, to a final roster cut in 2019. Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time | Stadium Talk Actually, theres a simple explanation. 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. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. Six All-Pro selections. The former top ten draft pick looks to be on the verge of breaking out. He was usually the Bears' best rusher and receiver in his prime years, catching 40-50 passes per season from Mike Tomczak or the young Jim Harbaugh. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Most underrated NFL players on all ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). But McCree did fumble. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. If Morgan had played in a pass-happy offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback and hands-off rules, you would find him in Canton right now. There would not be another exchange of current Pro Bowlers in the NFL until the Broncos and Redskins exchanged Champ Bailey and Clinton Portis in 2004. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. 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. David has amassed 12 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries, 24 forced fumbles, and 53 pass deflections during his career. Super Bowl championships: Two (2005, 2008). Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. 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. And you're never going to guess who's No. Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. Even without the same speed and athleticism as when he entered the league, David continues to find ways to make impact plays like a seasoned veteran.