As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. Since 2013, Jones has registered six double-digit sack seasons including a 17 sack season in 2017 that led the NFL, and a career-high of 19 in 2019. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. No matter what the two-time All-Pro accomplished, he could never be Jerry Rice, who cast a long, tall shadow in the same conference. 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. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. 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. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. Then it was off to Carolina, where he earned an All-Pro selection for leading the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game as a second-year expansion team during his age-37 season. To make our list, a player must contribute to a winning effort while putting up bad stats, misunderstood stats or no stats. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. TGT Tips! NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. 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. 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. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. But Anderson was an extraordinary talent. 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. Bottom line: The Greatest Show On Turf boasted so much star power you couldnt tell the other Rams without a program. Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. The start to his career is Hall of Fame worthy and includes a Super Bowl championship while with the New England Patriots. During his nine seasons in Buffalo, Hughes has emerged as a leader while registering double-digits in QB hits every season but one. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Off to a fast start in 2021, Sutton is quickly reminding opposing defenses of his talent. top 20 David was a crucial component of the Bucs defense during their playoff run in 2020 that culminated in a Super Bowl victory. 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. Unlike many of Marshall's teammates, however, he wasnt an obnoxious self-promoter, which partly explained his absence from the NFC Pro Bowl roster that season. "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. most underrated nfl players 10. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. The problem with Dierdorf is he played for a lot of bad Cardinals teams. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. 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. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. During his time at Fiorentina, he was the best player, 2. 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. This list begins with a quarterback who is preparing to play in the 2015 NFL regular season. 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 Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. Truth is, Norton should have been Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player, not Troy Aikman, who was the obligatory quarterback pick. And none of them produce the numbers he generated in less hospitable systems. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. 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. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" All picks and predictions are suggestions only. The best we can offer is a little bit of credit where a lot is due. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. 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? 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. Actually, theres a simple explanation. He was usually the Bears' best rusher and receiver in his prime years, catching 40-50 passes per season from Mike Tomczak or the young Jim Harbaugh. 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. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. 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. 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. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. The Top 20 Most Underrated NFL Players - ONE37pm Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep Guide: Rankings, tiers, sleepers Allen made a lot of plays. Buckner is a smart player and one of the better-run defenders in football. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. Jeff Saturday had to translate Peyton Manning's spur-of-the-moment audibles into protection schemes a split second before the snap. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Karl Mecklenburg. Most Underrated Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. Web20 most underrated football players of all time 1. Oakland Raiders. 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. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). Playing in Detroit can stifle any career. A Hall of Fame voter once warned me that "every town has its linebacker.". Taylor Moton has quietly emerged as a dominant presence at right tackle for the Panthers. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. Ron McDole falls into that final category. We look at the 10 most underrated players in football at the moment. Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. The rumors themselves were not surprising. 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. Oh, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. 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? But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. Kolb set the Super Bowl standard for left tackles in Super Bowl IV, when he smoked undersized Minnesota Vikings end Jim Marshall like a bad cigar. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. As Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase earn praise for helping bring competitive football back to Cincinnati, safety Jessie Bates is a huge reason for the Bengals turnaround on defense. Player A passed for 27,928 yards and 194 touchdowns and ran for four touchdowns with mostly very good teams and one great one. He began his career at the tail end of Jim Harbaugh's great defensive teams, but he has since battled both injuries and the incompetence of the Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly experiments. Pro Bowl? Super Bowl victories? He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. 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. Johnny Robinson's credentials make you want to drive to Canton, kick down the Hall of Fame's door and clear a spot for his bust yourself. 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 Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. Barca star Pedri hails Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time David entered the league as a terrific coverage linebacker and has continued to grow into an all-around complete linebacker and playmaker. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Super Bowl championships: Two (1979, 1990). 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. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. Waller was a sixth-round draft pick at wide receiver by the Ravens in 2015 and struggled to find targets early in his career in spite of his 66 frame. Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. Also, the field was often a block of ice. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, Know who created those wide-open spaces? There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. Hence, the Campbell video. 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 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. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. "Even now I still get pissed off. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. He is also infamous for admitting on ESPN Radio that he once purposely let Packers defender Sean Jones sack Scott Mitchell so the struggling quarterback would get knocked out of a game. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? 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. WebWhile 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. He isn't the dynamic threat thatTyreek Hill orDavante Adams are, but Allen is an elite route runner that consistently puts up elite production. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. Top 20 Most Underrated NFL Players 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. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. 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". The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. 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. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 13, 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. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. You mean future Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace didnt block four guys all by himself? 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. 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. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. Allen has much in common with many others on this underrated list. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. 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. 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. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. WebFive players made their "Top 100" debuts -- David Montgomery, Jimmie Ward, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Tucker and Kyle Pitts -- in Episode 1 (Nos. If Isiah Robertson is famous at all, it's for being "posterized" by Earl Campbell in one of the most famous NFL Films highlights of all time. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. He was a eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. 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. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. Raphael Guerreiro - Borussia Dortmund. 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. "No one was going to catch no ball.". 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. 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. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? It takes bad timing and bad luck. What Mason did have was a keen attention to detail and fanatical drive to succeed. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. 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. But McCree did fumble. "Stanley Steamer" could run every route and was hell on wheels with the ball in his hands. Hull started his professional career with the USFL's New Jersey Generals, where he helped Herschel Walker rush for 2,411 yards in one 18-game season. 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. 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. So whaddya say, fans? In Dierdorfs second to last season, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Packers 41-16 in their playoff opener. 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. Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time by Team | Stadium Talk most underrated player Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. With that in mind, NFL 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. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. Dave Meggett -- RB, 1989-1994. most underrated player of all time 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. 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. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. 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. Beachum has lined up at both left and right tackle but displayed He took over as the Bears' featured offensive weapon after the Super Bowl Shuffle years. "I dont get it. Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. 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. Time has been hard on both of them. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. One of the greatest defenders of his era reduced to stuntman status in Campbell's action movieall it takes is a moment to make a player underrated forever. 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. 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. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. 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. 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. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. Robinson was one of those players. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. 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. Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. He's rarely mentioned as an all-time great. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. 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. Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Bottom line: Fred Taylor once tweeted, "I earned respect on the field. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. But things were different in the long-ago 1990s, when the sports universe belonged to teal-emblazoned expansion franchises and a youngish Tom Coughlin received a binder full of press clippings from the mother of a wide receiver ready to call it quits after injuries derailed his Cowboys career. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson most underrated nfl players 2000s. Mason also caught 49 postseason passes and was one of the game's best return men for a few years. Bottom line: Adam Vinatieri was money in the postseason, but Matt Bahr was even better. Johnson can line up all over the field and consistently find space in the opposing defense. 1. Angel Di Maria. chants for the best players who didnt get their just dues over the years. Hadl played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the University of Kansas.