Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). 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. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. 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. There is one football player who could score from literally anywhere, and his name is 2. 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. Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. 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 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. 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? "I dont get it. And because versatility is his calling card, he'll never produce gaudy sack totals or climb any all-time leaderboards. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. While most Giants fans remember Meggett, he is still one of the most underrated players of all time. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. Hmmm. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. 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. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. Actually, theres a simple explanation. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. 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. 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. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. Tom Jackson. Bates has still developed into a leader in the Bengals secondary and arguably their best player on defense. As a 31-year-old, no less. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Here is every NFL teams most underrated player of all time. 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. Overshadowed on a bad team for much of his early career, Bates also came from a draft that featured top safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Ronald Koeman. 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. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). Through the 2018 season, Vinatieri checked in at 81 (56 of 69) and 99 (70 of 71), respectively. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. 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. Ken Griffey Jr.? He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. Now that's underrated. Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. 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. 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. But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. His .588 win percentage ranks second to Wilson in team history. 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. Know who created those wide-open spaces? And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. Saleh has compared Franklin-Myers to Arik Armstead, whom he coached in SF while registering 10 sacks in 2019. 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. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. 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. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. He led his team to an NFL championship. While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. As the Chargers faded, Rivers kept them in the wild-card picture and became the franchise's only recognizable public figure. 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. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. No matter. They never had any playoff success, even when they did make it into the postseason. 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. His teams averaged 392.0 yards and 34.0 points in those games. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Super Bowl championships: Two (1979, 1990). Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. During his nine seasons in Buffalo, Hughes has emerged as a leader while registering double-digits in QB hits every season but one. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. Tom Nalen protected John Elway in a pair of Super Bowl victories and helped trigger a zone-blocking revolution as part of Alex Gibbs' influential offensive lines. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. 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. At only 510, Johnson lacks the ideal size. 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. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. And let's not place the full burden of history on his shoulders, as Marty Schottenheimer, Norv Turner, the Chargers front office and Rivers himself had a hand in making the team a playoff also-ran during those peak years. 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. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. Tom Jackson. 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 had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. Mason was frequently his team's most valuable offensive player, but he and Steve McNair made their short pitch-and-catch passes look a little too easy. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. Maybe not, seeing as Nalen has not had much success. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. 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. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. 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. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. Allen made a lot of plays. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. 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. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection.