Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. Taylor Moton has quietly emerged as a dominant presence at right tackle for the Panthers. WebMost Underrated NFL Players of All Time These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. Hadl played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the University of Kansas. Efficient? There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. 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. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. McLaurins route running continues to improve while routinely making contested catches look easy. David has amassed 12 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries, 24 forced fumbles, and 53 pass deflections during his career. It's better to be remembered for one of the most painful moments in your career than to not be remembered at all. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? Twenty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the marquee organizations in professional sports, and Jimmy Smith was one of their brightest stars. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. Karl Mecklenburg. But his Rams had a running back named Eric Dickerson and quarterbacks named Dieter Brock and Jeff Kemp. Nope, not Charles Haley. Terry McLaurin has played through one of the more unstable quarterback situations in football with Washington since entering the league but continues to emerge as one of the top wideouts in football. Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. He began his career at the tail end of Jim Harbaugh's great defensive teams, but he has since battled both injuries and the incompetence of the Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly experiments. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. Make no mistake about it, Eric Bieniemys exodus from Kansas City to Washington is only one move on the chess board 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. It was rival 49ers tackle Bryant Young who the Rams were most concerned about before the 1999 season, when they signed Timmerman as a free agent. 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. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. As some players continue to grow their stardom and gain league-wide recognition, others are less talked about, often flying under the radar for several seasons or even entire careers without proper acknowledgment. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. At only 510, Johnson lacks the ideal size. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. During his nine seasons in Buffalo, Hughes has emerged as a leader while registering double-digits in QB hits every season but one. Slot specialists such as Julian Edelman and Victor Cruz are now considered valuable components to the modern passing game. Ronald Koeman is a bonafide legend of Dutch football. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. 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. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. In their two Super Bowl seasons that followed, Young was a virtual nonfactor in the matchup. 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. 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. 1. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. Ronald Koeman. Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. Here is every NFL teams most underrated player of all time. Teams kept doing something special to get their hands on Hadl. 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 two Super Bowl trips, Bahr didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. And no Hall of Famers allowed. He's rarely mentioned as an all-time great. 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. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. The Cardinals were 0-3 in the playoffs in Dierdorfs time with the team, and none of the games were particularly close. And few were better at making opposing quarterbacks pay for mistakes. Bottom line: OK, kids, lets play Name That Hall of Famer. 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. Unlike many of Marshall's teammates, however, he wasnt an obnoxious self-promoter, which partly explained his absence from the NFC Pro Bowl roster that season. As a 31-year-old, no less. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. 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. Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. That's its own kind of recognition. Maybe that victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots in their 2008 playoff rematch. Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. And then there is plain old forgotten. Mills looks like just another local hero linebacker in the encyclopedias, albeit a good one. It is absurd that Jones isnt talked about more with his ability to impact games. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. Gheorghe Hagi, Romania. When the Rams finally earned a Super Bowl berth, Robertson was in Buffalo, playing for another playoff also-ran. White: 12 underrated players; White: 12 overrated players; Towers: Generic vs. Name Brand; Prospect hunting . 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. Web12. Sideways. He didnt just take up space, either. Brown is now best known as a television personality. Actually, make that four careers. McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. No matter. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. 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 As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. The former top ten draft pick looks to be on the verge of breaking out. 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. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. 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. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. That "something" was throwing for more than 29,000 yards and going to four AFL All-Star Games and a Pro Bowl with the Chargers and then leading the Rams to a 12-2 record in 1973. 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. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. 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. In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. Waller overcame addiction and his suspension to emerge in 2019, catching 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns while starting all 16 games for the Raiders. 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. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. "I dont get it. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. The least glamorous position on the field, a so-so team, a franchise moveWisniewski pulled three lemons on the recognition slot machine. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. He announced his retirement from pro football in 2010, not long after signing with the Arizona Cardinals. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. 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. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. Ogbah has always been a steady presence rushing the quarterback but broke out in 2020 during his first season with the Dolphins. Smith wasnt a no-show on third-and-long, either. 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. Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. 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. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. Hull never lived to see himself make a Hall of Fame semifinalist list, as he died of liver failure at age 50 in 2011. A dominant presence as a run blocker, Moton uses his athleticism to get to the next level of the defense in a hurry. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. Yet he still led his team to the playoffs three more times. Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. 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. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. 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. In the 1950s and the days of 12-game regular seasons, he rushed for 3,078 yards, nearly 1,000 more than the runner-up. Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. 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. 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 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. Through the 2018 season, Vinatieri checked in at 81 (56 of 69) and 99 (70 of 71), respectively. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. Despite his incredibly high waist seriously, check out his build Kelvin Beachum has been one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. When the team inducted Smith into the Pride of the Jaguars ring of honor last year, it was the strange case of a moribund franchise honoring a former receiver still on parole for succumbing to the demons of addiction. 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. 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. 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. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. He once sacked Dan Marino twice on the first two plays of a gamea remarkable achievement, as Marino was one of the least sacked quarterbacks in NFL history. Matthew Stafford is approaching 50,000 career passing yards, a number only topped by 11 quarterbacks in history. But McCree did fumble. 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. 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. "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. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. 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. But things were different in the long-ago 1990s, when the sports universe belonged to teal-emblazoned expansion franchises and a youngish Tom Coughlin received a binder full of press clippings from the mother of a wide receiver ready to call it quits after injuries derailed his Cowboys career. On this All-Underrated list, he is in very good company. The Niners' willingness to spend big money on a long-term deal at fullback demonstrates the value and unique skill set Juszczyk provides. Waller upped his game in 2020 and hauled in 107 passes and nine touchdowns to earn his first Pro Bowl nod. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. 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? Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. Anderson is no Hall of Famerthe middle of his career is a morass of ordinary-at-best seasonsbut he was a pioneer and an innovator.
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