It takes bad timing and bad luck. 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. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). Ron McDole falls into that final category. 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. "Because when the ball was thrown, I knew I had better ball skills and would go up and get it.". Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. WebWhile positional drills may be more indicative of a player's success in the NFL, other events like the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and bench press are less obvious. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. The USFL may not have been the NFL in terms of quality, but being the Luke Kuechly of a league that featured Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly and Steve Young should count for something. 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. 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. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. If Mel Blount, Mike Haynes and teammate Lemar Parrish hadnt been in the same conference, Riley would have made more a few more Pro Bowl trips. 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. It's better to be remembered for one of the most painful moments in your career than to not be remembered at all. 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. THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYERS OF ALL TIME - YouTube Tom Jackson. How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. Pro Football Reference rates him at near a Pro Bowl level well into his 30s. Time has been hard on both of them. The fullback has become a non-factor in many of todays NFL offenses, but Juszczyk remains an integral part of how the San Francisco 49ers run their offense. 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. 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. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, On the field, it is Diontae Johnson that has emerged as a favorite target of Big Ben. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. 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. Upon entering the league in 2019, Johnson recorded 59 catches as a rookie and then topped that mark in 2020 with 88 catches. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. He picked off a dozen passes in his career two of them at 38 years of age an absurd number for a 6-foot-4, 265-pound lineman. 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. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. 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. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. The correct answer is Player A (Ken Stabler), and if youre Player B (Brodie), you have to wonder if one Super Bowl should make that much difference. 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. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. His 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was far from elite level speed either, but none of that has not stopped Johnson from playing fast and producing at a high level for the Steelers. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. Kenn was one of the leaders of the NFL Players Association during the era of replacement players and court battles over free agency. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Ken Griffey Jr.? 100-91). Web12. As the Chargers faded, Rivers kept them in the wild-card picture and became the franchise's only recognizable public figure. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. 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. All-time underrated and overrated players for 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. Allen has much in common with many others on this underrated list. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" The Most Underrated Spanish Player Of All Time? - YouTube Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. A Super Bowl ring and two AFL championships. That's not something to hold against a player. While under the radar, Bates has emerged as one of the better all-around safeties in football. DeForest Buckner plays great team defense and has done so successfully for two franchises. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. NaVorro Bowman trade rumors surfaced in early spring, only to be quickly squelched by new 49ers general manager John Lynch. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. 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. 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. He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. 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 White: 12 underrated players; White: 12 overrated players; Towers: Generic vs. Name Brand; Prospect hunting . 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. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. You know the type. Mike Kenn began his career playing left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. He led his team to an NFL championship. Ten of the most underrated footballers of all time 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. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. WebMost Underrated NFL Players of All Time These men did so much but received so little credit in return. NFL Nostalgia: Ranking the Most Underrated Players in NFL History 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. 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. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. 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. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do it. He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. Dave Meggett -- RB, 1989-1994. In Jahri Evans' four All-Pro seasons (2009-12), the Saints ranked first, sixth, first and second in the NFL in total yards. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. In Dierdorfs second to last season, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Packers 41-16 in their playoff opener. 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. Dunn left Tampa Bay as a free agent after the 2001 season and headed to Atlanta, largely because of his relationship with Arthur Blank, the Falcons owner. WebDon't hesitate to comment below with underrated players who you believe should have been on this list. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. 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). A beast in coverage, Jones continues to round out his game as one of the top overall linebackers in football. David was a crucial component of the Bucs defense during their playoff run in 2020 that culminated in a Super Bowl victory. He routinely beat defenders with quickness out of his breaks and clever change-of-pace moves, qualities that also served him well as a punt returner. It takes more than mere greatness to be considered one of the most underrated players in pro football history. Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. most underrated players in football at At age 25, Franklin-Myers seems to be just scratching the surface of his potential and should benefit from some additional pieces being added to a young rebuilding Jets defense. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. 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. Sad to say, Morgan was woefully miscast in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly time. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. Let's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. Hence, the Campbell video. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. But no one remembers the Greatest Show on Turf for its defense, and Fletcher spent the prime of his career playing for mediocre Bills teams. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. Ronald Koeman. 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. Hull never lived to see himself make a Hall of Fame semifinalist list, as he died of liver failure at age 50 in 2011. Robinson was one of those players. You mean future Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace didnt block four guys all by himself? Quarterback ratings for Washington skyrocket when targeting McLaurin, who has become a nightmare to defend with the ball in his hands after the catch.