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. 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. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. Pro Football Reference rates him at near a Pro Bowl level well into his 30s. 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. 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? Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. No one else is even close. 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. But Anderson was an extraordinary talent. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. 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. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. 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. You mean future Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace didnt block four guys all by himself? He led his team to an NFL championship. 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. 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. It doesn't matter: If you are a Broncos defender, you might as well forget about a bust in Canton. 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. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. Marshall reached just two Pro Bowls. 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. Mike Williams is an elite deep threat at wide receiver and has maintained an average YPC of over 15 every year since 2018. It was the era of great defensive lines with catchy namesthe Rams had the Fearsome Foursome, the Cowboys the Doomsday Defense, the Steelers later added the Steel Curtain, and so forthand Marshall was the Ringo Starr of the Purple People Eaters, the guy who once ran the wrong way for a touchdown and was happy just to be in the band. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll NFL and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. His teams averaged 392.0 yards and 34.0 points in those games. WebDeion Sanders: Deion Sanders is one of the most underrated players of all time. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. McDole is not known for much of anything anymore, as his AFL stardom came before the Super Bowl era and his Redskins heroics predated the era of Joe Gibbs and the Hogs. He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. The 6'2" Wright was renowned as a run-stuffing cornerbackthat's him tackling Walter Payton in the photobut he also intercepted 26 career passes, even though opposing quarterbacks spent much of his career avoiding him. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. It takes bad timing and bad luck. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. But McCree did fumble. 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 All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks 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. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. Honourable Mentions Hajime Hosogai, Hertha Berlin DM, Age: 27 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 the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). 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 As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. Hes on the short list of running back leaders in yards per rush (4.6, 17th), touches (2,824, 25th) and yards from scrimmage (14,079, 35th) in NFL history. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. Mills looks like just another local hero linebacker in the encyclopedias, albeit a good one. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. Saleh has compared Franklin-Myers to Arik Armstead, whom he coached in SF while registering 10 sacks in 2019. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. 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. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. Sanders was an extremely Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. 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. If Marlon McCree hadn't fumbled that interception in the playoffs after the 2006 season, everything might have been different. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. While most Giants fans remember Meggett, he is still one of the most underrated players of all time. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Oakland Raiders. 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: Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. An all-underrated team like this one can get flooded with Zach Thomas, Hardy Nickerson, Tommy Nobis and Tedy Bruschi types if we don't get a little choosy. 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. No, what youll see are lots of gaping holes the size of Boulder. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do it. Nope, not Charles Haley. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. WebLet's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. Bottom line: In the Steelers' 3-4 scheme, defensive ends were akin to smaller, more agile tackles run-stoppers first, pass-rushers second. 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. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? By the time the 49ers are great again, Bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. Man Utd's double winning He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. If John Hadl is remembered for anything these days, it's for one of the most disastrous trades in NFL history.