With 53 players on each of the 30 teams in the NFL, it's quite understandable as to why some names are much bigger than others. Quarterbacks and wide receivers are usually the ones who get the most recognition since they're the ones with the football in their hands most of the time.
However, with the overflow of quarterbacks and wide receivers, there are some that tend to go unnoticed from time to time; defensive lines, on the other hand, are no question. So, I'm going to teach you something today--here are five (of many) underrated NFL players:
5. Earl Thomas
Safety, Seattle Seahawks
Don't let last season's 11 games and two interceptions for only five yards fool you--this man is an animal.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, "The Seahawks allowed 5.96 yards per dropback, 7.01 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 77.8 with Thomas on the field last season. Without him, those numbers were 6.76 yards per dropback, 7.77 YPA and 100.3 passer rating."
Basically what all those numbers are saying is that Thomas is an absolute monster on the field with his speed, mindfulness, and fearlessness.
The 28 year old is just coming off of a tibia injury back from Week 13, but, according to ESPN, linebacker Bobby Wagner has seen the improvement his teammate has made and is, quite frankly, a little spooked:
"I think last week I said he came back even stronger than he was before in my opinion," Wagner said, "which is scary."
'Deuce,' aside from infamous strong safety Kam Chancellor, is definitely one of Seattle's most terrifying defensive weapons.
4. Jarvis Landry
Wide receiver, Miami Dolphins
It's understandable how easily someone can forget about the Miami Dolphins, but this 24 year old is one player on that team that you wouldn't want to forget about.
You know New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., right? Well, I don't know if you know this, but Beckham and Landry were the best of friends back in their LSU days.
And just to prove their bromance, here's from even more recently:
People and sports fans across the globe know Beckham for his iconic one-handed catch and his 10 touchdowns and 101 receptions for 1,367 passing yards with a 59.8 percent catcher rating.
But--get this--Landry isn't strolling too far behind his beloved teammate with his four touchdowns and 94 grabs for 1,136 passing yards with an even better catcher rating of 71.8 percent.
In other words, you could say that you can rely on Landry more than OBJ, and that does say something about his potential.
3. Mike Evans
Wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
And here's yet another 2014 Draft Class pick who's been ignored as one of the diamonds in the rough.
Last season, Evans racked up 12 touchdowns and 96 receptions for 1,321 passing yards with a 55.5 percent catcher rating. It's been said that, with his physicality and overall brute strength, we could be looking at a top three or four wide receiver.
His 16 consecutive starts and games played showed how much quarterback Jameis Winston and the entire coaching staff relied on him.
The Bucs went second in the NFC South with a 9-7 record, just above .500. With newest addition, former Eagles and Redskins wide receiver, DeSean Jackson, both Tampa Bay and Evans could be looking at an even better season.
2. Landon Collins
Strong safety, New York Giants
The Giants has had their fair share of superstar potential players in recent years such as Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, and here's another one for you.
In just his second season, Landon Collins was hands down one of the best safeties in the NFL in 2016. He's started in 32 consecutive games and was able to grab six interceptions for an overall 72 yards and one forced fumble between the two.
More recently, in Aug. 26th's preseason game against the Jets, Collins returned an interception for a touchdown, claiming one of the two first-half pick-sixes for New York.
Ever since Collins, along with other defensive players like Jason Pierre-Paul and Janoris Jenkins, there's been a nice light shed onto the Giants' defense that just might be able to make up for offensive mistakes.
1. Drew Brees
Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
In the midst of all the--well earned--hype around Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and so on, everyone seems to forget about that one specific 38 year old 10-time Pro Bowler, one time All-Pro and former Super Bowl Champion who would be, none other than, Drew Brees.
If you're a statistics and information loving person, kind of like myself, here are some numbers for you per Canal Street Chronicles:
The Saints have essentially given us the same season three years in a row: Drew Brees throws for the most yards in the NFL, the offense scores a ton of points, but the defense allows even more in a 7-9 finish... New Orleans' non-QB offensive EPA was the fourth highest in the league. The issue is squarely on defense, where the Saints ranked 31st in EPA (minus-104.5) and became the fourth team in NFL history to allow at least 450 points in consecutive seasons. If Brees had even a mediocre defense, then the Saints would likely return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Long story short--IT ISN'T HIS FAULT.
This man has been cursed with a weak defense for the past seven years, which is how long it's been since he's won a Super Bowl.
Last season alone, Brees threw an insane number of 37 touchdowns and completed 471 out of 673 passes for 5,208 yards with a 70.0 percent passer rating; that's way more than Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford who's just agreed to a $135 million contract compared to his $24 million contract.
The bottom line is, Drew Brees becomes a free agent very soon and if the Saints are silly enough to let him go, let's just say he's going to have a lot of fun proving people wrong and whoever acquires him is going to have just as much fun.
