He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. 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. Man Utd's double winning Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. Matthew Stafford is approaching 50,000 career passing yards, a number only topped by 11 quarterbacks in history. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? 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. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. They lost to the Vikings 30-14 in the 1974 Wildcard Round, and they were defeated by the Rams 35-23 in the opening round of the playoffs in 1975. Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. 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. 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. WebDon't hesitate to comment below with underrated players who you believe should have been on this list. They never had any playoff success, even when they did make it into the postseason. And then there is plain old forgotten. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. Following a strong start to 2021, McLaurin is slowly beginning to earn the respect his game deserves. 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. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. 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. Buckner is a smart player and one of the better-run defenders in football. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. 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. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll NFL and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Karl Mecklenburg. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. 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. Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. 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. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. It takes more than mere greatness to be considered one of the most underrated players in pro football history. 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. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. His career was cut short by injuries suffered in the first of those three Pro Bowls. Time has been hard on both of them. Bates is a ball-hawking safety in coverage with excellent range, intelligence, and athleticism. 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. He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). Maybe he wasn't the best defender on the field for any one play, but he stayed on that field for an entire generation. 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. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? 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. 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. 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. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. Hence, the Campbell video. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. In two Super Bowl trips, Bahr didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. 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. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. 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. WebBUY OUR MERCH: https://www.thegivengo.com/merchTIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegivengoSPOTIFY: Maybe that victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots in their 2008 playoff rematch. Johnson can line up all over the field and consistently find space in the opposing defense. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. At only 510, Johnson lacks the ideal size. 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. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, 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). 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. 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. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. Allen made a lot of plays. 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? Defensive Player of the Year awards? But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. One of the most well-traveled quarterbacks in NFL history, Vinny Testaverde hung around long enough to register the seventh-most passing yards ever in his 20-year career. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. Two names that are familiar to even casual football fans sit atop the mountaintop of underrated NFL players for the 2015 regular season. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". He played in the run-'n'-shoot offense, which means he was on an island against the NFL's best pass-rushers on every snap for a half-decadeno tight end flanking him, no blocking back behind him. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. It is absurd that Jones isnt talked about more with his ability to impact games. A beast in coverage, Jones continues to round out his game as one of the top overall linebackers in football. He isn't the dynamic threat thatTyreek Hill orDavante Adams are, but Allen is an elite route runner that consistently puts up elite production. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. Sam Mills rises above the rest of the gritty linebacker pack, at least when it comes to being underrated, because three of his greatest seasons have been erased from history. Dave Meggett -- RB, 1989-1994. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Wouldnt you know it? 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. 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. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Steve Atwater. During his time at Fiorentina, he was the best player, 2. 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. Ronald Koeman. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? He won 65 percent of his NFL starts. WebLet's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. That's where the politics of Hall voting come in. 1. 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. WebThis list is for those players the ones who were great football players and did not get the credit they deserve. By being overshadowed by Brown, achieving his greatest success just before the dawn of the Super Bowl era and getting stuck behind the Tom Brady and Peyton Manning of your grandfather's generation, Ryan earned the title of the NFL's All-Time Most Underrated Player. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. No, what youll see are lots of gaping holes the size of Boulder. Young started his career as the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and ended it as a four-time winner of the Len Eshmont Award, the 49ers' team award for character and leadership. Waller upped his game in 2020 and hauled in 107 passes and nine touchdowns to earn his first Pro Bowl nod. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. There are over 120 teams that compete in the FBS, which means that storylines and hidden superstars abound. Tom Jackson. And he played in one stinking Pro Bowl game. chants for the best players who didnt get their just dues over the years. Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. 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. 1. If Morgan had played in a pass-happy offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback and hands-off rules, you would find him in Canton right now. His 23 fourth-quarter comebacks (20th overall) are more than Dan Fouts, Jim Kelly, Sonny Jurgensen and Bart Starr, to name a few Hall of Famers at the position. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. This list begins with a quarterback who is preparing to play in the 2015 NFL regular season. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. If not for Schlereth's many health problems that included 29 surgeries, 15 on his left knee alone, he would have been a perennial Pro Bowl selection. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. 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 his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. 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. In Dierdorfs second to last season, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Packers 41-16 in their playoff opener. And few were better at making opposing quarterbacks pay for mistakes. TGT Tips! The start to his career is Hall of Fame worthy and includes a Super Bowl championship while with the New England Patriots. He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. That's its own kind of recognition. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. Taylor Moton has quietly emerged as a dominant presence at right tackle for the Panthers. Oh, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. No one else is even close. 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. 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. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. Playing in Detroit can stifle any career. Ogbah has always been a steady presence rushing the quarterback but broke out in 2020 during his first season with the Dolphins. He finished his career by doing something almost impossible: signing with the Patriots as a veteran role player during one of the few years they didn't reach the Super Bowl. Franklin-Myers went from fourth-round draft choice of the Rams in 2018, to a final roster cut in 2019. Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images. There will never be another player like Marshall. Chiesa is a winger who plays for Juventus. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. 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 NFL is a star-driven league. "I dont get it. But his Rams had a running back named Eric Dickerson and quarterbacks named Dieter Brock and Jeff Kemp. McDole was a starting defensive end for two of history's legendary defenses: the AFL champion Buffalo Bills of 1964 and '65 and Washington's "Over-the-Hill Gang" of the early 1970s. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 13, Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. Jerry Hughes has been a consistent pass rusher and important piece to the Buffalo Bills defense. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. He also had some of the clutch gene. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. 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. Try Dave Krieg. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. 10. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. Peppers will have to play three more seasons to catch Marshall, and Peppers' starts are non-consecutive. The converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. 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 then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. 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. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. Despite his incredibly high waist seriously, check out his build Kelvin Beachum has been one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. DeForest Buckner plays great team defense and has done so successfully for two franchises. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. 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. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. 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. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. Nope, not Charles Haley. Not enough credit is given to Waller who lacks the Shanahan offense or elite QB to help take his game to the next level. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. Bottom line: Wilber Marshall was the most athletic and versatile linebacker with the legendary 1985 Bears defense he often replaced the celebrated Mike Singletary in pass situations. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. Know who created those wide-open spaces? C'mon, who doesn't love Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert? Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. 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. And you're never going to guess who's No. Far from it. The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. Marshall reached just two Pro Bowls. Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. Hadl played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the University of Kansas. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". The Niners' willingness to spend big money on a long-term deal at fullback demonstrates the value and unique skill set Juszczyk provides. So Kenn basically had three careers. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Super Bowl championships: Two (1979, 1990). 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". 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. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. 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. Juszczyk knows his role and is a winning player that will always fight to win those tough yards. And no Hall of Famers allowed. 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. Teammates Alan Page and Carl Ellar were held in higher regard. 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. They're the working stiffs who bust their butts at so-called lesser positions, on teams that are seldom seen on highlights shows, let alone national television. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. You mean future Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace didnt block four guys all by himself? Theyre the core players who are overshadowed by more well-paid, high-profile teammates and just plain pathetic, shameless self-promoters. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. Neal Anderson replaced Walter Payton. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. 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. 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. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. 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. 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. 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.