While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. Web12. That's not something to hold against a player. 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. WebTop 20 Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time 20 Drew Brees. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? Both Courtland Sutton and teammate Tim Patrick could easily make this list together as neither player is discussed nearly enough. Ryan needed surgery and was in constant pain for the rest of his career. But McCree did fumble. Tom Jackson. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. 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. Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson most underrated nfl players 2000s. No one else is even close. Not only was Fleming good enough to stick with great teams, but he also was the luckiest son of a gun on the face of the earth. Let's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. It is absurd that Jones isnt talked about more with his ability to impact games. The problem with Dierdorf is he played for a lot of bad Cardinals teams. What Mason did have was a keen attention to detail and fanatical drive to succeed. Bates finished tied for 6th in 2020 with 15 passes defended. On the field, it is Diontae Johnson that has emerged as a favorite target of Big Ben. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. 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. There is one football player who could score from literally anywhere, and his name is 2. 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. 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. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. In addition to the most underrated and overrated Raiders of all time, Adam Rank goes on a mini-tirade about a criminally underrated coach. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. Far from it. In Dierdorfs second to last season, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Packers 41-16 in their playoff opener. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. Most Underrated NFL Players Of All Time - The Onion He won 65 percent of his NFL starts. 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. His .588 win percentage ranks second to Wilson in team history. 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. David entered the league as a terrific coverage linebacker and has continued to grow into an all-around complete linebacker and playmaker. Brown did one thing terribly wrong in 18 NFL seasons, but for his teams to win as often as they did, he must have done an awful lot more right. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. Put him on the Tom Brady-led Patriots, and Mason might have invented a new branch of mathematics. Raphael Guerreiro - Borussia Dortmund. He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. Coughlin gave Smith a tryout, then kickoff return duties, and then teamed him with Mark Brunell and Keenan McCardell to create one of the most dangerous passing attacks of the late '90s and early 2000s. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. 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. 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. 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. 25 Feb/23. If John Hadl is remembered for anything these days, it's for one of the most disastrous trades in NFL history. Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. Maybe that victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots in their 2008 playoff rematch. 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. The top 20 most under-rated footballers of all time - The Telegraph It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. 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. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Bottom line: Fred Taylor once tweeted, "I earned respect on the field. New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for The Hall of Fame eluded Ellard for several reasons: comparisons to Rice, the Rams' move to St. Louis (it takes hometown writers and buzz to mount a campaign) and those five early seasons in a ground-and-pound offense. That may tick him off. 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. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. A lifelong Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Davids 10-year career has been about consistency and productivity. Karl Mecklenburg. Smith wasnt a no-show on third-and-long, either. Bates started every game during his first three seasons since entering the league in 2018, recording three interceptions in each season and averaging over 100 tackles. 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. 'Nuff said, right? And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. 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 rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles in football. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. 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. The Packers believed they were a veteran quarterback away from a playoff run in 1974, so head coach/GM Dan Devine acquired the 34-year-old Rams quarterback by surrendering a ransom of draft picks huge enough to cause even Ryan Pace to do a spit take: two first-rounders, two second-rounders and a third-rounder. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" 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. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. He also had some of the clutch gene. 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. Oakland Raiders. Most Underrated Neal Anderson replaced Walter Payton. Waller overcame addiction and his suspension to emerge in 2019, catching 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns while starting all 16 games for the Raiders. 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. Steve Atwater. "No one was going to catch no ball.". 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. He routinely beat defenders with quickness out of his breaks and clever change-of-pace moves, qualities that also served him well as a punt returner. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. 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. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. 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. 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 Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. Today we look back at the most underrated Quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, and a few of these should be in Canton. Turner was the ultimate plug-and-play guy, one of five 49ers to be part of all eight of their playoff teams in the decade. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? All-time underrated and overrated players for 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. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. If Marlon McCree hadn't fumbled that interception in the playoffs after the 2006 season, everything might have been different. Barca star Pedri hails Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. 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. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. 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. Hmmm. With his career spread evenly across three teams and zero All-Pro selections (a consequence of playing in the same era as Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher), Fletcher is a Hall of Fame long shot. 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. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. Regardless of the Cardinals struggles, Dierdorf was a star. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. And none of them produce the numbers he generated in less hospitable systems. The Lions drafted him as a running back. 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. Playing in Detroit can stifle any career. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. 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 If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). Wouldnt you know it? Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. The 6'2" Wright was renowned as a run-stuffing cornerbackthat's him tackling Walter Payton in the photobut he also intercepted 26 career passes, even though opposing quarterbacks spent much of his career avoiding him. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. MOST UNDERRATED PLAYERS OF ALL TIME 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. Karl Mecklenburg. Pro Football Reference rates him at near a Pro Bowl level well into his 30s. Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. Teams kept doing something special to get their hands on Hadl. In the nine seasons that Aaron Smith had double-digit starts, their D ranked among the top nine in yards allowed every time, but his consistent play went over the heads of many. On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. WebBUY OUR MERCH: https://www.thegivengo.com/merchTIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegivengoSPOTIFY: After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. Buckner is a smart player and one of the better-run defenders in football. Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep Guide: Rankings, tiers, sleepers He led his team to an NFL championship. 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. 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. Twenty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the marquee organizations in professional sports, and Jimmy Smith was one of their brightest stars. Following a strong start to 2021, McLaurin is slowly beginning to earn the respect his game deserves. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. 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. Greenwood, but there are dozens of other great old players clamoring for their chance who didn't enjoy the glory of playing for a "team of the decade.". Sideways. 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. "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. 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. Also, the field was often a block of ice. 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. It was rival 49ers tackle Bryant Young who the Rams were most concerned about before the 1999 season, when they signed Timmerman as a free agent. Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. 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. 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. 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. Allen has much in common with many others on this underrated list. WebThe Top 10 Most Underrated Football Players of All Time 1. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. With 4.35 speed, McLaurin can take the top off any defense but has also rounded out the rest of his game since his time at Ohio State. most underrated players in football at Every NFL teams most underrated player of all time - FanSided 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. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. The 49ers are installing a new system and reshaping their roster. At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. 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 Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). 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. ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). Angel Di Maria. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. Kenny Anderson may be the most "so underrated that he's overrated" player in NFL historya darling of the stat-head community and common first-guy-mentioned when Hall of Fame snubs come up.