But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. 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? 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Day 2 Recap (Fantasy Football) They lost to the Vikings 30-14 in the 1974 Wildcard Round, and they were defeated by the Rams 35-23 in the opening round of the playoffs in 1975. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. 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. 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. Coaches rave about his work off the field and his dedication to improving his craft. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? Saleh has compared Franklin-Myers to Arik Armstead, whom he coached in SF while registering 10 sacks in 2019. 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. McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. He took over as the Bears' featured offensive weapon after the Super Bowl Shuffle years. WebThe Top 10 Most Underrated Football Players of All Time 1. 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. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. Karl Mecklenburg. He announced his retirement from pro football in 2010, not long after signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. His teams averaged 392.0 yards and 34.0 points in those games. Waller was a sixth-round draft pick at wide receiver by the Ravens in 2015 and struggled to find targets early in his career in spite of his 66 frame. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. That feeling never really went away.". ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. Actually, theres a simple explanation. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. 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. NFL Nostalgia: Ranking the Most Underrated Players in NFL History Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. 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. His franchises just kept ending up on the wrong side of history. 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. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. There's a statue outside of Lambeau Field commemorating the Lambeau Leap, perhaps the most recognizable and beloved (except to Packers opponents) end-zone celebration in the NFL. 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. Full name: Jordi Alba Ramos Date of birth: March 21, 1989 Age: 33 years old (as of 2023) Place of birth: L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain Height: 1.70 m Current team: Six All-Pro selections. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). 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. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. His .588 win percentage ranks second to Wilson in team history. C'mon, who doesn't love Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert? 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. Mason also caught 49 postseason passes and was one of the game's best return men for a few years. 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. FEDERICO CHIESA. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. Slot specialists such as Julian Edelman and Victor Cruz are now considered valuable components to the modern passing game. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. In Jahri Evans' four All-Pro seasons (2009-12), the Saints ranked first, sixth, first and second in the NFL in total yards. So Anderson cranked out a few 1,000-yard seasons and played in some Pro Bowls, and that was that. A beast in coverage, Jones continues to round out his game as one of the top overall linebackers in football. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. He led his team to an NFL championship. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. Ground rules: A max of three Pro Bowl invitations. NFL Combine records: Complete list of top 40 times, bench press But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. Sanders was an extremely He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. most underrated player 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. Graham has only missed one game since 2012 prior to 2021, and similar to Hughes is a winning culture type of player. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, "KO for Ken Norton.". But McCree did fumble. Two names that are familiar to even casual football fans sit atop the mountaintop of underrated NFL players for the 2015 regular season. Top 10 most underrated NFL players: Justin Tucker, Keenan 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. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. 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 Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. If John Hadl is remembered for anything these days, it's for one of the most disastrous trades in NFL history. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. Truth is, Norton should have been Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player, not Troy Aikman, who was the obligatory quarterback pick. 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. 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. While coverage is Bates' strength, he can still lay the big hit and be a factor in run support. He played center, as well, before his career was over. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. 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. Bottom line: Adam Vinatieri was money in the postseason, but Matt Bahr was even better. Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images. Allen made a lot of plays. 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. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. 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. Far from it. Mills looks like just another local hero linebacker in the encyclopedias, albeit a good one. 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. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. "I dont get it. As the Chargers faded, Rivers kept them in the wild-card picture and became the franchise's only recognizable public figure. 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 one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Those who like to shout "first-ballot Hall of Famer" about Rivers do not know how the Hall of Fame works. Efficient? Upon entering the league in 2019, Johnson recorded 59 catches as a rookie and then topped that mark in 2020 with 88 catches. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. Super Bowl victories? Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles in football. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. Smith produced nine 1,000-yard seasons in 10 years, including two 100-plus-catch seasons in an era when they were still relatively uncommon. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. He also had some of the clutch gene. While Stafford's game is Hall of Fame worthy, an 0-3 career record in the playoffs on some flawed Lions teams has done little to elevate his name into the conversation of top QBs. Dunn left Tampa Bay as a free agent after the 2001 season and headed to Atlanta, largely because of his relationship with Arthur Blank, the Falcons owner. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. 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. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. Both Courtland Sutton and teammate Tim Patrick could easily make this list together as neither player is discussed nearly enough. This list begins with a quarterback who is preparing to play in the 2015 NFL regular season. 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. Some of the 19 Web20 most underrated football players of all time 1. Buckner is a smart player and one of the better-run defenders in football. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. 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. chants for the best players who didnt get their just dues over the years. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. WebTop 20 Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time 20 Drew Brees. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. 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. Most Underrated The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. TGT Tips! 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. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. 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. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 13, So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. It's better to be remembered for one of the most painful moments in your career than to not be remembered at all. In Dierdorfs second to last season, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Packers 41-16 in their playoff opener. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. So Kenn basically had three careers. The Jaguars upset John Elway's Broncos and reached the AFC Championship Game as a second-year expansion team and then went on to three more playoff berths, culminating in a 14-2 season. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. Playing in Detroit can stifle any career. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. Karl Mecklenburg. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ogbah has always been a steady presence rushing the quarterback but broke out in 2020 during his first season with the Dolphins. 25 Feb/23. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. 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. But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" Web12. One of the greatest defenders in the history of a storied franchise, Young is just another victim of bad timing when it comes to getting the reputation he deserves. Membership on various All-1960s teams. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. 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. 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. There have been too many players in NFL history to count, so naturally, many of them werent going to get the attention they deserved for their play. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. And no Hall of Famers allowed. You mean future Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace didnt block four guys all by himself? He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. 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. 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. 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. Bottom line: OK, kids, lets play Name That Hall of Famer. But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. 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. WebTop ten under-capped England players is a list Foden and Maddison want to avoid Matt Le Tissier won 10 fewer England caps than Carlton Palmer. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. 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. Man Utd's double winning The Lions drafted him as a running back. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. 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. 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. And then there is plain old forgotten. Chiesa is a winger who plays for Juventus. 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. As a 31-year-old, no less. 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. 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. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. Hmmm. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks Oh, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYERS OF ALL TIME - YouTube 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. Put him on the Tom Brady-led Patriots, and Mason might have invented a new branch of mathematics. But Brown was a unique and underappreciated player for over a decade on a team that nearly revolutionized the way football is played. 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. 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. To make our list, a player must contribute to a winning effort while putting up bad stats, misunderstood stats or no stats. Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. 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. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. Victory propelled Montana to superstardom, while defeat left the 32-year old Anderson to play out the string as a high-percentage passer for a rapidly disintegrating franchise. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Kenn was one of the leaders of the NFL Players Association during the era of replacement players and court battles over free agency. 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. 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. 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. 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. Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. Hull started his professional career with the USFL's New Jersey Generals, where he helped Herschel Walker rush for 2,411 yards in one 18-game season. During his time at Fiorentina, he was the best player, 2. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Every NFL teams most underrated player of all time - FanSided A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. Web113 Likes, TikTok video from FootWorld (@lovingfootbal): "The most underrated player of all time #dimaria #football". WebMost Underrated NFL Players of All Time These men did so much but received so little credit in return. 1. 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? For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). 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. 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. 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. Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. 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. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. Hence, the Campbell video. Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). He started for the Rams in their Super Bowl seasons at the beginning of his career and then earned Pro Bowl berths for Washington from 2009 through 2012 when he was in his mid-30s. The 49ers are installing a new system and reshaping their roster. 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. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. Players like McDole are what all-time underrated lists exist for. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. Maybe not, seeing as Nalen has not had much success. 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.
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