Allen made a lot of plays. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. 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. 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. Johnson can line up all over the field and consistently find space in the opposing defense. 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. Tom Jackson. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Randy Gradishar. Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. There are over 120 teams that compete in the FBS, which means that storylines and hidden superstars abound. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. 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. While the 2021 season is still early, Johnson looks to have cleaned up some issues with drops that hindered his 2020 performance and is perhaps the only thing stopping him from gaining more notoriety. But Anderson was an extraordinary talent. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. 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. Brown is now best known as a television personality. 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. 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. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. 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. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. 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. 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. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. That voter meant every fanbase has a beloved old defender, renowned for his toughness and leadership, that they swear belongs in the Hall of Fame. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Ronald Koeman. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. Mike Williams is an elite deep threat at wide receiver and has maintained an average YPC of over 15 every year since 2018. 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. Smith wasnt a no-show on third-and-long, either. Pro Football Reference rates him at near a Pro Bowl level well into his 30s. 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. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. FanDuel NFL 2021: Best lineup for Week 16, Jets HC Robert Saleh tests positive for COVID, could miss Jaguars game, LeVeon Bell fires back on Twitter at fans trolling him for signing with Buccaneers. The converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. Wisniewski reached eight Pro Bowls and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade team for the 1990s, so he's not exactly obscure. Ken Griffey Jr.? Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. 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 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. It's hard for a running back to be underrated. On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. 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. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll NFL and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. The Cardinals were 0-3 in the playoffs in Dierdorfs time with the team, and none of the games were particularly close. Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Moton started all 16 games each of the last four years, gradually improving and joining the conversation of best right tackles in football. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. Karl Mecklenburg. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. "Even now I still get pissed off. 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. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. 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. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. Ryan needed surgery and was in constant pain for the rest of his career. Cooke is the most underrated player in the sport, performing mostly in the wonderful but considerable shadows of Boston, Staleys grand personality and all the noise at Colonial Life Arena. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. original sound - ftbl vids 221. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. In their two Super Bowl seasons that followed, Young was a virtual nonfactor in the matchup. 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. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. Saleh has compared Franklin-Myers to Arik Armstead, whom he coached in SF while registering 10 sacks in 2019. 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. But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. 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. Shenault is dynamic after the catch and plays like a running back with the ball in his hands. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. Bottom line: Adam Vinatieri was money in the postseason, but Matt Bahr was even better. 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". Ronald Koeman is a bonafide legend of Dutch football. With that in mind, NFL New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for 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. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. Raphael Guerreiro - Borussia Dortmund. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. 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. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. Not Fred Dean. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. 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. Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. 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. Evans is a long shot to do either, which is a shame. 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. So Anderson cranked out a few 1,000-yard seasons and played in some Pro Bowls, and that was that. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. Pro Bowl? Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. TGT Tips! Put him on the Tom Brady-led Patriots, and Mason might have invented a new branch of mathematics. Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. 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. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. Maybe that victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots in their 2008 playoff rematch. 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. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. The problem with Dierdorf is he played for a lot of bad Cardinals teams. Greenwood, but there are dozens of other great old players clamoring for their chance who didn't enjoy the glory of playing for a "team of the decade.". 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. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. 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. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). No one else is even close. Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? The rumors themselves were not surprising. Henry Ellard spent the first five seasons of his NFL career returning punts and putting up humdrum receiving stats. 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. Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. Roberston is the guy getting head-butted in the sternum and knocked backward by Campbell before the running back's jersey gets torn off. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. "Stanley Steamer" could run every route and was hell on wheels with the ball in his hands. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. Bottom line: Quick, name the winningest Seahawks quarterback before the Russell Wilson era. It doesn't matter: If you are a Broncos defender, you might as well forget about a bust in Canton. David entered the league as a terrific coverage linebacker and has continued to grow into an all-around complete linebacker and playmaker. MVP-caliber seasons (1,528 yards, 90 receptions, 16 total touchdowns in 2006) early in his career gave way to annual 1,100-1,200 yard, low-touchdown grinds as the Greatest Show Rams retired one by one and the team fell to 2-14 and 1-15. While under the radar, Bates has emerged as one of the better all-around safeties in football. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. 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. But Brown was a unique and underappreciated player for over a decade on a team that nearly revolutionized the way football is played. Without Kenn, there might not be free agency in the NFL, to say nothing of limitations on practice conditions and other initiatives that make pro football less dangerous than it was decades ago. Off to a fast start in 2021, Sutton is quickly reminding opposing defenses of his talent. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. After spending a season on the practice squad and injured-reserve with the Jets, Franklin-Myers made the most of his opportunities as a rotational player throughout most of 2020, leading to a starting role in 2021 and a massive $55M extension. He announced his retirement from pro football in 2010, not long after signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. Jerry Hughes has been a consistent pass rusher and important piece to the Buffalo Bills defense. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. 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. Hadl played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the University of Kansas. "No one was going to catch no ball.". Guys who played in Jacksonville repeatedly have been crapped on in Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame votes, none more so than Taylor during and after his 11 seasons there. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago.