20 most underrated football players of all time

Measurables. Saleh has compared Franklin-Myers to Arik Armstead, whom he coached in SF while registering 10 sacks in 2019. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. Two names that are familiar to even casual football fans sit atop the mountaintop of underrated NFL players for the 2015 regular season. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. 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. Randy Gradishar. Chiesa is a winger who plays for Juventus. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. 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 then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. 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 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. Efficient? In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. 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? 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. 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. 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. Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. It takes bad timing and bad luck. most underrated players in football at Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. 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. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. Far from it. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. So Kenn basically had three careers. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. That feeling never really went away.". The converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. original sound - ftbl vids 221. WebOnce called the toughest cornerback in the NFL by Jerry Rice, Lewis would have received much more acclaim in his career if hed played a position that wasnt just following other During his nine seasons in Buffalo, Hughes has emerged as a leader while registering double-digits in QB hits every season but one. Bottom line: One of the premier long-ball threats of any era, Stanley Morgan ranks 10th in yards per reception (19.2) and 39th in touchdown catches (72) on the all-time list. 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. According to Next Gen Stats, Johnson averaged 3.6 yards of separation for each target during his rookie season, the most of any receiver in football. But Wright never posted massive interception totals, and his teams ended up on the receiving end of a pair of Super Bowl beatings. 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. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. Pittsburgh Steelers: All-time underrated, overrated players - NFL.com Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). Most underrated NFL players on all And because versatility is his calling card, he'll never produce gaudy sack totals or climb any all-time leaderboards. He was a Pro Bowler in 1974 and 75, and he was an All-Pro selection from 1976-78. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. 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. But his Rams had a running back named Eric Dickerson and quarterbacks named Dieter Brock and Jeff Kemp. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. 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. Bottom line: In his 15th and final season, the 36-year-old Ken Riley had eight interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns, one of the most incredible performances by an old man ever. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. Those who like to shout "first-ballot Hall of Famer" about Rivers do not know how the Hall of Fame works. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Its hard to think of a player more dominant and less talked about over a long period of time than Chandler Jones. 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. Teammates Alan Page and Carl Ellar were held in higher regard. 10 Most Underrated Promising Football Players In The World He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. 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. The Top 20 Most Underrated NFL Players - ONE37pm But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. Matthew Stafford is approaching 50,000 career passing yards, a number only topped by 11 quarterbacks in history. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. And few were better at making opposing quarterbacks pay for mistakes. It is absurd that Jones isnt talked about more with his ability to impact games. Defensive Player of the Year awards? 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. 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 no Hall of Famers allowed. Slot specialists such as Julian Edelman and Victor Cruz are now considered valuable components to the modern passing game. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. 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. 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. 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. Kenn was one of the leaders of the NFL Players Association during the era of replacement players and court battles over free agency. 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. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Theyre the core players who are overshadowed by more well-paid, high-profile teammates and just plain pathetic, shameless self-promoters. Most Underrated American Football Players of All Time The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. 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. Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. most underrated footballers of all time 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. McLaurin registered 87 catches in 2020 after 58 during his rookie season in 2019. 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. 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. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. 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. 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. Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. 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. 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. 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. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. 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. 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. In two Super Bowl trips, Bahr didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. Ronald Koeman. Web113 Likes, TikTok video from FootWorld (@lovingfootbal): "The most underrated player of all time #dimaria #football". As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. 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. Old-timers call it the Lawrence Welk trade after a television bandleader of the era who would begin songs by counting off "A one, and a two, and a three". According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. WebThe Top 10 Most Underrated Football Players of All Time 1. Steve Atwater. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. 1. Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? There is one football player who could score from literally anywhere, and his name is 2. Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. 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. If Mel Blount, Mike Haynes and teammate Lemar Parrish hadnt been in the same conference, Riley would have made more a few more Pro Bowl trips. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts WebDon't hesitate to comment below with underrated players who you believe should have been on this list. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). St. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins. 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 Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. 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. Jackson probably helped you win a fantasy title or two, but he would be remembered for so much more if he wasn't always on the wrong team at the wrong time. 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. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf Starting in at least 13 games every year since entering the league in 2012, David has finished just one season with less than 100 tackles. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. On the field, it is Diontae Johnson that has emerged as a favorite target of Big Ben. Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. 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. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. 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. During his time at Fiorentina, he was the best player, 2. Maybe he wasn't the best defender on the field for any one play, but he stayed on that field for an entire generation. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. But few cornerbacks spent more of their careers in the crosshairs than Allen. Membership on various All-1960s teams. Actually, theres a simple explanation. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. WebMost Underrated NFL Players of All Time These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). On this All-Underrated list, he is in very good company. In 10 of the 12 seasons in which he started at least half their games, the Seahawks prevailed more times than not.