He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. So Kenn basically had three careers. 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. 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. David was a crucial component of the Bucs defense during their playoff run in 2020 that culminated in a Super Bowl victory. He announced his retirement from pro football in 2010, not long after signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Karl Mecklenburg. 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. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? 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. 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. Mike Williams is an elite deep threat at wide receiver and has maintained an average YPC of over 15 every year since 2018. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. The 49ers are installing a new system and reshaping their roster. 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. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. 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? Taylor Moton has quietly emerged as a dominant presence at right tackle for the Panthers. 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 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. 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. 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. 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. 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. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. Marshall reached just two Pro Bowls. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. Fewer yet realize that he made a crucial play in each victory. Wisniewski reached eight Pro Bowls and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade team for the 1990s, so he's not exactly obscure. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. But McCree did fumble. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. And then there is plain old forgotten. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. 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. 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. Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. He won 65 percent of his NFL starts. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. 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. Bottom line: In the Steelers' 3-4 scheme, defensive ends were akin to smaller, more agile tackles run-stoppers first, pass-rushers second. 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. Pro Football Reference rates him at near a Pro Bowl level well into his 30s. 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. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. Karl Mecklenburg. Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles 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. 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 Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. 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.". Matthew Stafford is approaching 50,000 career passing yards, a number only topped by 11 quarterbacks in history. Oh, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. Teammates Alan Page and Carl Ellar were held in higher regard. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. More than one scout considered Turner to be too light to play linebacker, too slow to play defensive back. Slot specialists such as Julian Edelman and Victor Cruz are now considered valuable components to the modern passing game. Web113 Likes, TikTok video from FootWorld (@lovingfootbal): "The most underrated player of all time #dimaria #football". 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. 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. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. Bates has still developed into a leader in the Bengals secondary and arguably their best player on defense. By the time Rivers is retired for five years, the "San Diego Chargers" will be as relevant as the Dayton Triangles, and Hall voters will be too busy rubber-stamping Tom Brady and Drew Brees to get to a guy from a lost city who couldn't win the big one. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. Buckner is a smart player and one of the better-run defenders in football. 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. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. And he played in one stinking Pro Bowl game. In their two Super Bowl seasons that followed, Young was a virtual nonfactor in the matchup. 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. 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. David entered the league as a terrific coverage linebacker and has continued to grow into an all-around complete linebacker and playmaker. Also, the field was often a block of ice. That feeling never really went away.". 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: Roberston is the guy getting head-butted in the sternum and knocked backward by Campbell before the running back's jersey gets torn off. He is also proficient with his right foot and is a versatile player who can play multiple positions in the attacking third of the pitch. Let's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. 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. 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. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. Graham has only missed one game since 2012 prior to 2021, and similar to Hughes is a winning culture type of player. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. During his time at Fiorentina, he was the best player, 2. 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. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. 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. Maybe that victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots in their 2008 playoff rematch. Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. Some of the 19 Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. Not enough credit is given to Waller who lacks the Shanahan offense or elite QB to help take his game to the next level. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. Steve Atwater. 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. Teams: Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Houston Oilers, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1986, 1987, 1992), Super Bowl championships: Two (1985, 1991). 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. He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. But run defense was king in the era when McDole played, and his 16-year career is littered with big plays: 12 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, two touchdowns, three safeties and a pair of sacks in the 1966 AFL Championship Game. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. DeForest Buckner plays great team defense and has done so successfully for two franchises. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. The Hall of Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. A lifelong Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Davids 10-year career has been about consistency and productivity. Its hard to think of a player more dominant and less talked about over a long period of time than Chandler Jones. A bit more well-known after recently signing a four-year contract extension, John Franklin Myers is an easy player to root for and deserving of the success he has achieved. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. Anchoring defenses with catchy names like the "Orange Crush?" Hadl played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the University of Kansas. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. Juszczyk knows his role and is a winning player that will always fight to win those tough yards. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. 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's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. 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. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. Actually, make that four careers. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. 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. 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 "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images). Still, Allen rarely gets respect as a true number one wideout. 100-91). Wouldnt you know it? At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. 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. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. 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. Allen made a lot of plays. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. Web20 most underrated football players of all time 1. Players like McDole are what all-time underrated lists exist for. He led his team to an NFL championship. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. WebBUY OUR MERCH: https://www.thegivengo.com/merchTIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegivengoSPOTIFY: McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. WebTop 20 Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time 20 Drew Brees. At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. In Jahri Evans' four All-Pro seasons (2009-12), the Saints ranked first, sixth, first and second in the NFL in total yards. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". WebThe Top 10 Most Underrated Football Players of All Time 1. A beast in coverage, Jones continues to round out his game as one of the top overall linebackers in football. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. 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? 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. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. 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. How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. 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. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. TGT Tips! Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). 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. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. He also had some of the clutch gene. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. While most Giants fans remember Meggett, he is still one of the most underrated players of all time. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. 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. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. That may tick him off. Jones has also recorded at least 100 tackles every year since entering the league with the exception of 2018 when he played in only 6 games. "No one was going to catch no ball.". "Even now I still get pissed off. 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. 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. Make no mistake about it, Eric Bieniemys exodus from Kansas City to Washington is only one move on the chess board Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons.