20 most underrated football players of all time

Jerry Hughes has been a consistent pass rusher and important piece to the Buffalo Bills defense. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. 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. A lifelong Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Davids 10-year career has been about consistency and productivity. 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. 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. Pittsburgh Steelers: All-time underrated, overrated players - NFL.com Ogbah has always been a steady presence rushing the quarterback but broke out in 2020 during his first season with the Dolphins. 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". ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). 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. The Top 10 Most Underrated Football Players of All Time He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. Jackson probably helped you win a fantasy title or two, but he would be remembered for so much more if he wasn't always on the wrong team at the wrong time. 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 Franklin-Myers has the ability to play anywhere on the defensive line and is off to a strong start in the Jets' new 4-3 defense under head coach Robert Saleh. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. 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. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. Waller upped his game in 2020 and hauled in 107 passes and nine touchdowns to earn his first Pro Bowl nod. The Steelers rushed for a then-record 249 yards and did not allow a sack. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. 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. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). Most Underrated 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. Its hard to think of a player more dominant and less talked about over a long period of time than Chandler Jones. Coaches rave about his work off the field and his dedication to improving his craft. If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. 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. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. A new generation of superstar left tackles entered the league as Brown was peaking, and he spent the latter half of his career bouncing from team to team as Tony Boselli, Willie Roaf, Orlando Pace, Jonathan Ogden and Walter Jones turned the blindside protector into an almost glamorous position. 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. Tom Jackson. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. 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. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. You know the type. 10 Most Underrated Football Players - Sports Al Dente Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. A mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). So whaddya say, fans? David has amassed 12 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries, 24 forced fumbles, and 53 pass deflections during his career. Along with the legendary Johnny Unitas, Rote probably did more to change the quarterback position than anyone in the pre-merger era even if so few know it. Player A passed for 27,928 yards and 194 touchdowns and ran for four touchdowns with mostly very good teams and one great one. Most underrated NFL players on all 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. David entered the league as a terrific coverage linebacker and has continued to grow into an all-around complete linebacker and playmaker. Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time by Team | Stadium Talk Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? 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. FEDERICO CHIESA. 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. Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. 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. The Hall of We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. "Underrated" is in the eye of the beholder, so let's establish some ground rules for these rankings: After that, players are ranked based how underappreciated they are, not how great they are. Edouard Mendy - Chelsea. During his time at Fiorentina, he was the best player, 2. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. The former top ten draft pick looks to be on the verge of breaking out. That's not something to hold against a player. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. Evans is a long shot to do either, which is a shame. Sanders was an extremely 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. With that in mind, NFL Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). Let's take a look at the the five most underrated footballers of all time. Now that's underrated. But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). Hmmm. 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 played left tackle in 1972 and moved to right tackle in 1974. Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. That's its own kind of recognition. Membership on various All-1960s teams. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. Six All-Pro selections. 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. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. 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. Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Pro Bowl appearances: Four (1979, 1980, 1986, 1987). Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles in football. Regardless of the Cardinals struggles, Dierdorf was a star. 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. Despite his incredibly high waist seriously, check out his build Kelvin Beachum has been one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL. He started for the Rams in their Super Bowl seasons at the beginning of his career and then earned Pro Bowl berths for Washington from 2009 through 2012 when he was in his mid-30s. Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. Top 20 Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time | TheRichest But the diminutive Brees would not have been able to lead the Saints to a Super Bowl and several seasons as top contenders without a clean pocket, particularly right in front of him. 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. Ground rules: A max of three Pro Bowl invitations. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. The 49ers are installing a new system and reshaping their roster. 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: Buckner is rarely discussed with the likes of Cameron Heyward, Fletcher Cox, or Grady Jarrett among the top interior defensive linemen (next tier behind Aaron Donald), but he is every bit as talented. 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. While most Giants fans remember Meggett, he is still one of the most underrated players of all time. Dave Meggett -- RB, 1989-1994. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. But Brown was a unique and underappreciated player for over a decade on a team that nearly revolutionized the way football is played. But McCree did fumble. MOST UNDERRATED PLAYERS OF ALL TIME Hes the only quarterback with AFL and NFL titles on his resume and he darn near pulled it off in the Canadian Football League as well. 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. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? Top 10 most underrated NFL players: Justin Tucker, Keenan 1. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time | Stadium Talk They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. 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. Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1993, 1995, 1997), Super Bowl championships: Three (1992, 1993, 1994). shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson most underrated nfl players 2000s. 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. Twenty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the marquee organizations in professional sports, and Jimmy Smith was one of their brightest stars. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. A Super Bowl ring and two AFL championships. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. 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. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. 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. McLaurins route running continues to improve while routinely making contested catches look easy. Here is every NFL teams most underrated player of all time. WebDon't hesitate to comment below with underrated players who you believe should have been on this list. 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. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. 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. Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Bottom line: Terrell Davis rushed for 2,008 yards in his momentous 1998 season, but look at the game films and you wont see him fake out many defenders or break many tackles. The most underrated player on all Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. 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. He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. The best we can offer is a little bit of credit where a lot is due. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts He didnt just take up space, either. But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. 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 Beachum has lined up at both left and right tackle but displayed That's where the politics of Hall voting come in. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. For years, the team couldn't even harken back to its glory days properly, as Smith's Pride of the Jaguars induction was delayed until he was sober and no longer under house arrest. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. 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. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. No, what youll see are lots of gaping holes the size of Boulder. Allen made a lot of plays. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes.

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20 most underrated football players of all time