Criminally Underrated Players in the NFL

"NFL" by PDA.PHOTO is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

There will be those players for some reason that don't get enough recognition. Either they were a late draft pick that turned into a good player that no one knows, or they are on a really bad team. But, this article is for them. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!!!

Very Honorble mentions

Any nose tackles

These guys are some of the most underrated players in the game. You might know the guys in the game like DJ Reader (who I know most of you know because he signed a huge extension with the Bengals). You will only know them because have signed a large contract. But, they are the run stuffers who must be double-teamed or they will wreak havoc themselves. Let's take the Bears for example. Eddie Goldman with the is they guy that must get essentially grab the O-linemen and make them focus on him. Then, Akiem Hicks, Khalil Mack, and new Bear Robert Quinn get the sacks. So, show them some love.

Tyler Higbee

Understandably, anyone reading this might be a little confused. They might think he is just amother OK TE. But, if dig a little deeper into the film and his stats, we see he could be due for a big year and more usage all around. He was used a good amount, but he was used more a a run blocker it looks like because he only had around 290 yards before 2019. I think Coach McVay realized that he couldn't trust his O-line too much because as you can see in my other articles, they weren't very good this year. What they later last year was that they used Higbee on PA a lot to get him free and he could be a pass catcher. It is evident he is good because he had over 700 receiving yards. And most of it came from weeks 13-17. So, he could be dangerous. (Also a good fantasy pickup for next year).

"File:Nick Boyle.JPG" by Jeffrey Beall is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Nick Boyle

This guy is the definition of underrated. Yes, I know that he's not the starter for the Ravens. But. There is a big BUT. Does Mark Andrews play both TE positions on the field at the same time? NO. There has to be someone else that plays there. And that players in Mr. Boyle himself. He played 70% of the teams snaps which is very good for a TE2. The guy was pretty versatile too: he played in the backfield as the fullback on option plays, he can catch if they ask him to, and he can play special teams (he played 45% of ST snaps). I personally thought when I was watching the Ravens that he was also fun to watch smashing into people and catching passes off of play action (and this play against the Bills). I feel bad for him. He is living in the shadow of Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, and their revamped defense that everyone's talking about.

Steven Nelson

This one was kind of easy, but not many people know this name. Even I didn't know who he was until a few weeks ago. But, when I dug into his stats a little more, I was surprised how good he was for a CB2. The Steelers have Joe Haden, Fitzpatrick, and a scary D-line, but the secret pieces are the people like Steven Nelson that make is very very very good. Teams are going to have a hard time throwing the ball either way because of the talent in the secondary. The only weakness may be Edmunds, and even that ins't that much of a weakness. Enough of the secondary, let's talk about Nelson. He allowed a 46.8% completion rate when targeted. Yup. And he allowed 0 TDs. And he had 45 solo tackles (for a CB). That is straight up impressive. He has numbers on par with a certain Bills CB that made it to the Pro Bowl and was an All-Pro (if you don't know who it is, find it out. He's too good not to know). So there. Not much else to say. Onward.

Raiders O-line

I feel like only Trent Brown gets the attention on this O-line, and that's not even that much. They did get beat a little bit by the Bengals D-line. But, they had a good game against the Bears (it hurts be very much to say that. I still think the Bears might have won with Trubisky. Also, the Bears lost Akiem Hicks in that game and that was probably why the Raiders won too). But, without this line, Coach Gruden couldn't have ran his smashmouth offense properly. These were the correct guys that he wanted and it worked. The interior could have been a little better in pass pro, but that'll get better with time. Their PFF ratings don't tell the whole story so don't look at those. There's not really too much else to say, moving on. 

Bengals D-line

The Bengals D-line is  actually pretty talented. I know that they were atrocious on defense, but I don't blame the D-line. The D-line can't get to the QB if the back end of the defense can hold up. This front is pretty scary with Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, and Sam Hubbard. All these guys are really underrated because they are in the Bengals, and all they are known for is losing (sorry Bengals fans). In addition to all those guys I listed, they also payed big bucks for DJ Reader. He had some of the best pass rushing stats for a NT. Dunlap had 9 sacks, Hubbard had 8.5 sacks, and Atkins had 4.5 sacks (I am not listing Reader because he wasn't on the Bengals last year). This is a very balanced crew with good edge rushers and big guys to push the pocket and force double teams on the outside. If they don't have success, it would be because the secondary or LBs don't to their assignments correctly.

Chase Mclaughlin

This one might be kind of surprising, but it is essential. People just look at him like he is a journeyman kicker that was on 3 teams in 2019. But, he helped those teams out tremendously. If you look at his overall percentage, you will see that he kicked 78% in. But, he just hit a rough patch in LA for some reason (he missed 3 field goals all from 40-49). Mclaughlin only missed 2 other kicks all year. When Robbie Gould was injured, he went 7/8 with the 49ers. And he should a be name to watch in the future because the Colts are having a kicker competition. Even if he doesn't win, he will get to start (I'm looking at you Jets).

Nik Needham

This is only a man that Miami Dolphin fans and a few people like me know. I look at NFL blogs and the official NFL page all the time. I think I have seen his name come up once and maybe twice. That is not fair at all. Even though he did give up 5 TDs, I will lay only 50% of the blame on him. The safety play can take the rest of the blame. He is a very solid player otherwise. His coverage skills are pretty good and he knows what to do on every snap. He is also versatile. He plays the left corner or right nickelback spot. If we look at his stats, he has stats equivalent of Richard Sherman and Kyle Fuller. What's more impressive is that he was an undrafted free agent out of UTEP. So all around, I like him a lot. If you guys want, I'll do a film study of him. But one thing is for sure, he must get more attention.

Thanks so much for reading. Sorry I was out for about 2 weeks. I was with my cousins, and I waned to spend time with them. I would appreciate it so so so much if you follow the blog so I can see you like my posts. You all are amazing. See you in the next one.