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. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was far from elite level speed either, but none of that has not stopped Johnson from playing fast and producing at a high level for the Steelers. Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. 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. "Stanley Steamer" could run every route and was hell on wheels with the ball in his hands. More than one scout considered Turner to be too light to play linebacker, too slow to play defensive back. Here is every NFL teams most underrated player of all time. Slot specialists such as Julian Edelman and Victor Cruz are now considered valuable components to the modern passing game. Bates has still developed into a leader in the Bengals secondary and arguably their best player on defense. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). 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. 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 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. 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. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do 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. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. 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. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. That's its own kind of recognition. Actually, make that four careers. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. An all-underrated team like this one can get flooded with Zach Thomas, Hardy Nickerson, Tommy Nobis and Tedy Bruschi types if we don't get a little choosy. 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. One look at the logjam forming outside the entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski isn't moving up the ladder anytime soon. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. Bates is a ball-hawking safety in coverage with excellent range, intelligence, and athleticism. He finished his career by doing something almost impossible: signing with the Patriots as a veteran role player during one of the few years they didn't reach the Super Bowl. Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. Allen has much in common with many others on this underrated list. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. Taylor Moton has quietly emerged as a dominant presence at right tackle for the Panthers. 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. 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. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. WebFive players made their "Top 100" debuts -- David Montgomery, Jimmie Ward, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Tucker and Kyle Pitts -- in Episode 1 (Nos. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. 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. The USFL may not have been the NFL in terms of quality, but being the Luke Kuechly of a league that featured Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly and Steve Young should count for something. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). Buckner earned his first All-Pro honors in 2020 and still has plenty of untapped potential to take his game to another level at just 27 years old. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. Ground rules: A max of three Pro Bowl invitations. Ron McDole falls into that final category. Dont let the numbers fool you Morgan wasnt a one-trick racehorse. Hmmm. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. 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. Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. Theyre the flat-liners whose drop-dead consistency gets lost with average-to-bad teams, in smaller markets, with brain-challenged organizations that have little, if any, history of success. Mostly Schlereth and sidekick Tom Nalen, who were masters of zone-blocking schemes, a major reason why Davis is in the Hall of Fame today. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. 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 Franklin-Myers went from fourth-round draft choice of the Rams in 2018, to a final roster cut in 2019. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. Kenn was one of the leaders of the NFL Players Association during the era of replacement players and court battles over free agency. He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons. Karl Mecklenburg. C'mon, who doesn't love Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert? Pro Bowl? Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. WebThe Top 10 Most Underrated Football Players of All Time 1. DeForest Buckner plays great team defense and has done so successfully for two franchises. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. 25 Feb/23. Johnny Robinson's credentials make you want to drive to Canton, kick down the Hall of Fame's door and clear a spot for his bust yourself. 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. To make our list, a player must contribute to a winning effort while putting up bad stats, misunderstood stats or no stats. Jordi Alba. He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. He was a Pro Bowler in 1974 and 75, and he was an All-Pro selection from 1976-78. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. While coverage is Bates' strength, he can still lay the big hit and be a factor in run support. While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. They never had any playoff success, even when they did make it into the postseason. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. Let's take a look at the the five most underrated footballers of all time. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Pro Bowl appearances: Four (1979, 1980, 1986, 1987). Those who like to shout "first-ballot Hall of Famer" about Rivers do not know how the Hall of Fame works. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles in football. Measurables. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. Nope, not Charles Haley. Sideways. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. 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. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. 1. Drew Brees endured an average of just 24 sacks per season in Evans' All-Pro seasons, despite typically dropping back to pass over 650 times per year. Edouard Mendy - Chelsea. While most Giants fans remember Meggett, he is still one of the most underrated players of all time. Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. Membership on various All-1960s teams. 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. 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. 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. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. He arrived in Buffalo at the same time Marv Levy was revolutionizing NFL offense with the help of Jim Kelly, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas. 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. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. 10. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. The Niners' willingness to spend big money on a long-term deal at fullback demonstrates the value and unique skill set Juszczyk provides. Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1993, 1995, 1997), Super Bowl championships: Three (1992, 1993, 1994). Efficient? A mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps. He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. 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. Coaches rave about his work off the field and his dedication to improving his craft. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. A beast in coverage, Jones continues to round out his game as one of the top overall linebackers in football. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. "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. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. Saleh has compared Franklin-Myers to Arik Armstead, whom he coached in SF while registering 10 sacks in 2019. White: 12 underrated players; White: 12 overrated players; Towers: Generic vs. Name Brand; Prospect hunting . Angel Di Maria. The Cardinals were 0-3 in the playoffs in Dierdorfs time with the team, and none of the games were particularly close. It is absurd that Jones isnt talked about more with his ability to impact games. 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. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. As the Chargers faded, Rivers kept them in the wild-card picture and became the franchise's only recognizable public figure. 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. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. 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. Now that's underrated. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. Far from it. Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. 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.
