20 most underrated football players of all time

Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Peppers will have to play three more seasons to catch Marshall, and Peppers' starts are non-consecutive. 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. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. Sideways. Bottom line: After eight seasons in Buffalo, where he had been a mainstay with the best defense in AFL history, Ron McDole took his two-bar helmet to Washington. 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. ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). 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. No, what youll see are lots of gaping holes the size of Boulder. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. The former top ten draft pick looks to be on the verge of breaking out. Quarterback ratings for Washington skyrocket when targeting McLaurin, who has become a nightmare to defend with the ball in his hands after the catch. While coverage is Bates' strength, he can still lay the big hit and be a factor in run support. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. We look at the 10 most underrated players in football at the moment. 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. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? WebDespite being just 20-years-old, Pedri has become a key player for Barcelona The midfielder names his former teammate Lionel Messi as the 'best' ever He hopes to 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. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. 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. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. 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. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. Gheorghe Hagi, Romania. He isn't the dynamic threat thatTyreek Hill orDavante Adams are, but Allen is an elite route runner that consistently puts up elite production. 100-91). That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. Hence, the Campbell video. 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. Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. In two Super Bowl trips, Bahr didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs. Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. 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. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. 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. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). 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. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. It's hard for a running back to be underrated. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. In his most prolific early season, he caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). More than one scout considered Turner to be too light to play linebacker, too slow to play defensive back. They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. 'Nuff said, right? Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. 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. 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. That's not something to hold against a player. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. And few were better at making opposing quarterbacks pay for mistakes. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images. Naturally, it also guarantees that some of the best players in the country get overshadowed and forgotten in the sport's warp-speed news cycle. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. 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. 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. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. 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. David has amassed 12 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries, 24 forced fumbles, and 53 pass deflections during his career. 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. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. The 49ers are installing a new system and reshaping their roster. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. Fewer yet realize that he made a crucial play in each victory. 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. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. 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. Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. 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. Bowman is a four-time All-Pro and tremendous all-purpose linebacker who emerged as a stalwart leader for teams that otherwise might have packed it in before Labor Day. 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. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. Bottom line: Quick, name the winningest Seahawks quarterback before the Russell Wilson era. Try Dave Krieg. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. Not Fred Dean. Bottom line: OK, kids, lets play Name That Hall of Famer. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do it. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? 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. 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. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. 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. 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. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. 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 The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Juszczyk knows his role and is a winning player that will always fight to win those tough yards. 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. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. 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. 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. 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. But McCree did fumble. Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). As a 31-year-old, no less. He didnt just take up space, either. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. Mason also caught 49 postseason passes and was one of the game's best return men for a few years. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. Teammates Alan Page and Carl Ellar were held in higher regard. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. And none of them produce the numbers he generated in less hospitable systems. Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. A dominant presence as a run blocker, Moton uses his athleticism to get to the next level of the defense in a hurry. Sam Mills rises above the rest of the gritty linebacker pack, at least when it comes to being underrated, because three of his greatest seasons have been erased from history. 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. 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. 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. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. 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. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. 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. 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. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. So whaddya say, fans? The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. If McCree doesn't cough up that fourth-quarter pick, the Chargers beat the Patriots, and perhaps Philip Rivers leads a team that went 14-2 in the regular season to the Super Bowl. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Upon entering the league in 2019, Johnson recorded 59 catches as a rookie and then topped that mark in 2020 with 88 catches. Time has been hard on both of them. 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. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. McDole is not known for much of anything anymore, as his AFL stardom came before the Super Bowl era and his Redskins heroics predated the era of Joe Gibbs and the Hogs. "Even now I still get pissed off. NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. That's its own kind of recognition. 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. 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. 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. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. McLaurins route running continues to improve while routinely making contested catches look easy. #5. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands. A mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 13, He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. That's where the politics of Hall voting come in. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. 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. At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. Franklin-Myers went from fourth-round draft choice of the Rams in 2018, to a final roster cut in 2019. Ken Griffey Jr.? 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. He was a Pro Bowler in 1974 and 75, and he was an All-Pro selection from 1976-78. Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." 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. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. 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. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. Defensive Player of the Year awards? 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. FEDERICO CHIESA. Hes the only quarterback with AFL and NFL titles on his resume and he darn near pulled it off in the Canadian Football League as well. 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. That may tick him off. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. Here is every NFL teams most underrated player of all time. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". Truth is, Norton should have been Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player, not Troy Aikman, who was the obligatory quarterback pick. This past offseason, Juszczyk signed a five-year $27M contract to return to the 49ers, making him the highest-paid fullback in football by a wide margin. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. 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. Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. Its hard to think of a player more dominant and less talked about over a long period of time than Chandler Jones. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" Theyre the core players who are overshadowed by more well-paid, high-profile teammates and just plain pathetic, shameless self-promoters. Bottom line: In the Steelers' 3-4 scheme, defensive ends were akin to smaller, more agile tackles run-stoppers first, pass-rushers second. His career was cut short by injuries suffered in the first of those three Pro Bowls. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. Oakland Raiders. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. "Stanley Steamer" could run every route and was hell on wheels with the ball in his hands. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. 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. 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. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. He played center, as well, before his career was over. 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. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images). Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. 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. 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. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. 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. They never had any playoff success, even when they did make it into the postseason. Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles in football. 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. 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. FanDuel NFL 2021: Best lineup for Week 16, Jets HC Robert Saleh tests positive for COVID, could miss Jaguars game, LeVeon Bell fires back on Twitter at fans trolling him for signing with Buccaneers. Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. But Brown was a unique and underappreciated player for over a decade on a team that nearly revolutionized the way football is played. Smith wasnt a no-show on third-and-long, either. WebDon't hesitate to comment below with underrated players who you believe should have been on this list. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. Through the 2018 season, Vinatieri checked in at 81 (56 of 69) and 99 (70 of 71), respectively. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. 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. Hull was not just a great lineman but a groundbreaking one. Wouldnt you know it? Playing in Detroit can stifle any career. 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? And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. The Niners' willingness to spend big money on a long-term deal at fullback demonstrates the value and unique skill set Juszczyk provides. Players like McDole are what all-time underrated lists exist for. 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. 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 arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. WebDeion Sanders: Deion Sanders is one of the most underrated players of all time.

Steelseries Oled Gifs, Jenna And Ashleigh Great White Sharks, Meredith Hagner Looks Like Goldie Hawn, Welsh Rugby Presenters, Articles OTHER