Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. 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. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. WebBUY OUR MERCH: https://www.thegivengo.com/merchTIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegivengoSPOTIFY: "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. Even without the same speed and athleticism as when he entered the league, David continues to find ways to make impact plays like a seasoned veteran. Membership on various All-1960s teams. He also had some of the clutch gene. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. 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. 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. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. 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. We look at the 10 most underrated players in football at the moment. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. Now that's underrated. 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. 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? Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. 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. Six All-Pro selections. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. 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. Tom Nalen protected John Elway in a pair of Super Bowl victories and helped trigger a zone-blocking revolution as part of Alex Gibbs' influential offensive lines. He arrived in Buffalo at the same time Marv Levy was revolutionizing NFL offense with the help of Jim Kelly, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. The Steelers rushed for a then-record 249 yards and did not allow a sack. And no Hall of Famers allowed. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. David was a crucial component of the Bucs defense during their playoff run in 2020 that culminated in a Super Bowl victory. The least glamorous position on the field, a so-so team, a franchise moveWisniewski pulled three lemons on the recognition slot machine. In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. 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. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. A lifelong Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Davids 10-year career has been about consistency and productivity. 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. Wide receiver Chase Claypool stole headlines as a rookie in 2020, while teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster always seems to attract headlines one way or another. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). Fewer yet realize that he made a crucial play in each victory. 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. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? Buckner earned his first All-Pro honors in 2020 and still has plenty of untapped potential to take his game to another level at just 27 years old. 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). Hmmm. Two names that are familiar to even casual football fans sit atop the mountaintop of underrated NFL players for the 2015 regular season. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. They never had any playoff success, even when they did make it into the postseason. And then there is plain old forgotten. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. 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. But few cornerbacks spent more of their careers in the crosshairs than Allen. Time has been hard on both of them. It takes more than mere greatness to be considered one of the most underrated players in pro football history. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. WebDuring the next few weeks, we here at NFL.com will unveil our Most Underrated and Overrated Players of All Time for all 32 teams and allow users to determine their Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. 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. 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 matter. Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images. He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. 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. It doesn't matter: If you are a Broncos defender, you might as well forget about a bust in Canton. 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. Web12. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. The Niners' willingness to spend big money on a long-term deal at fullback demonstrates the value and unique skill set Juszczyk provides. The problem with Dierdorf is he played for a lot of bad Cardinals teams. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. 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. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). The start to his career is Hall of Fame worthy and includes a Super Bowl championship while with the New England Patriots. Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. He led the Bengals to a pair of playoff appearances in 1973 and 1975, Joe Montana's high school senior and Notre Dame sophomore seasons. 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. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. 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. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. 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. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. 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. 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. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. 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. Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. FEDERICO CHIESA. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. 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. 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. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. He announced his retirement from pro football in 2010, not long after signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Teams kept doing something special to get their hands on Hadl. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). 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. Jeff Saturday had to translate Peyton Manning's spur-of-the-moment audibles into protection schemes a split second before the snap. As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. Yet somehow, some way, Kolb never received a Pro Bowl invitation. Edouard Mendy - Chelsea. Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. 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. "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. David has amassed 12 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries, 24 forced fumbles, and 53 pass deflections during his career. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing.
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