The NFL's most underrated players: Why Brock Purdy, Zach Ertz and Christian Benford deserve more credit

What does it mean for an NFL player to be underrated? In simple terms, it is someone who is better than the conventional wisdom suggests. But that can still mean a lot of different things.

It could be that a player is misconstrued as good when they're actually great. It could mean a player is considered average by fans, but he's actually above average on the field. It can even point to a player being acceptably productive despite being criticized for being subpar.

I went through the entire league to identify one player at every position who is currently underrated in some way -- and you'll find instances of all three definitions on the list. Let's start with a quarterback who just cashed in on a massive extension, and we'll end with a punter who has largely flown under the radar.

Jump to a position:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL
DT | Edge | LB | CB | S | ST

Quarterback: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Many claimed Purdy wasn't a legit MVP candidate in 2023 because he received too much help from San Francisco's offensive scheme and his talented teammates. Yet in 2024, while many of Purdy's teammates were injured, he still played very well.

One area of outside help is the tremendous yards-after-catch production of the Kyle Shanahan offense. I have a model for YAC over expectation based on the air yards and location of each pass: The 49ers led the NFL in this metric for six straight years from 2018 through 2023, but they dropped to sixth last season. Purdy's overall numbers were strong anyway.

Overall, Purdy performs well in metrics that try to separate a quarterback from his receivers and his blocking. For example, Purdy was seventh in the NFL with a 67.9 QBR for the 2024 season. Kevin Cole's adjusted quarterback efficiency, which attempts to adjust for everything from yards after the catch to dropped passes, had Purdy seventh in value per play (ninth in total value). And Purdy was fourth in Ben Baldwin's adjusted EPA per play (which also has adjustments for pass protection).

Does Purdy's huge contract extension mean he is no longer underrated? On the contrary, some of the criticism of the extension suggests people don't understand how much better Purdy has been compared to the other Shanahan quarterbacks in San Francisco.

Running back: Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

Let's be honest, the public tends to think about running backs based on their fantasy football value. Hubbard was never one of the top 20 fantasy backs in his first three NFL seasons. Last season was his best performance as a pro, yet he was only 13th in fantasy points. He wasn't going to put up league-leading totals on a losing Carolina team that didn't allow him to run out the clock in victories.

But did you realize that Hubbard had 1,195 rushing yards and scored 11 touchdowns? On a per-play basis, he was outstanding. Hubbard ranked fourth among qualifying running backs last season in NFL Next Gen Stats' rushing yards over expectation per carry (1.1). It was his best year in that metric, but he was also above average in 2022 and 2023.

The Panthers signed Rico Dowdle in free agency and drafted Trevor Etienne, but Hubbard should still be the clear No. 1 back for Carolina in 2025. (Last year's second-round pick, Jonathon Brooks, is out for the upcoming season after his second ACL tear in 13 months.)

Wide receiver: Darius Slayton, New York Giants

Slayton wasn't supposed to be anything special as a fifth-round pick in 2019, but he started nine games and caught eight touchdown passes in his rookie season. Sure, he hasn't come anywhere close to that end zone production since then. But the Giants played Slayton alongside Malik Nabers last season, and you need at least two starting wide receivers to survive in the modern NFL. Slayton caught 39 passes for 573 yards, which was convincing enough for the Giants to bring him back on a three-year, $36 million contract.

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Advanced metrics support the move since Slayton has had a positive receiving DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) for three straight seasons. And it's not like he has done that while working with any of the NFL's best quarterbacks. With Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and/or Jaxson Dart under center in 2025, Slayton should continue to work as a deep threat opposite Nabers. He'll probably put up another quietly productive and surprisingly efficient season.

Tight end: Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

It looked like Ertz's career might be over after he played only seven games for the Cardinals in 2023 at age 33. But he had a big comeback season with the Commanders in 2024. Ertz caught 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns, emerging as one of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels' go-to receivers.

Ertz also ranked 10th among tight ends in my DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement) metric. He had an 85.7% run block win rate, one of the best figures among starting tight ends, too. The Commanders re-signed Ertz to a one-year, $6.25 million contract for 2025. They didn't add any other tight ends in free agency or the draft, signaling that they're keeping him in the starting role.

Offensive tackle: Garett Bolles, Denver Broncos

After struggling early in his career, the 2017 first-round pick has developed into one of the top left tackles in the league. Bolles is still waiting for his first Pro Bowl nod, but he was seventh among tackles in pass block win rate last season (93.4%) and 13th in 2023 (91.6%).

Bolles anchors a Broncos line that finished No. 1 in run block win rate (74.9%) in 2024. FTN data also had him seventh at left tackle in the rate of pressures allowed. His only problem might be the flags, as he was fifth among linemen last season with 15 total penalties (including declined or offsetting).

Interior offensive line: Elgton Jenkins, Green Bay Packers

Unlike Bolles, Jenkins has made two Pro Bowls in his six-year career. But most fans still don't think of him as one of the NFL's top linemen.

Last season, Jenkins led left guards in the lowest rate of pressures allowed, according to FTN data charting. He ranked eighth among all guards in pass block win rate (92.4%), but he also brings versatility to Green Bay's offensive line. He has played at both tackle spots and is now penciled in as the starting center for 2025. Jenkins is waiting on a new deal before taking the field, though.

Interior defensive line: Zach Allen, Denver Broncos

Even though he was chosen as a second-team All-Pro, I'm not sure most fans outside of Denver realize just how good Allen was in 2024. He plays as a 5-technique defensive end in Denver's 3-4 scheme and was key for the Broncos' unit. He dominated in defeats, which is the sum of big defensive plays (turnovers, tackles for a loss and tackles/passes defensed to prevent a conversion on third or fourth down). Allen's 25 defeats tied for second among interior defensive linemen with the Steelers' Cameron Heyward and was one behind the Seahawks' Leonard Williams.

Allen was also second in run stop rate (89%), which measures how often one of his tackles prevented a successful run for the offense. He had 36 pressures for good measure, which ranked second to the Chiefs' Chris Jones among interior linemen in 2024.

Edge rusher: George Karlaftis, Kansas City Chiefs

If you want to find an underrated edge rusher, there's a general rule to follow: Look for someone who ranks a lot higher in pressures than sacks. That means he's getting to the quarterback and causing negative plays for the opponent, even if he isn't getting the press.

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In 2024, Karlaftis was that guy. He followed up a 10.5-sack season in 2023 with eight sacks last season, but his pressure total was far more impressive. Karlaftis was tied for 14th in the NFL with 44 pressures. He added 11 more pressures in three playoff games and had three sacks against the Texans in the AFC divisional round.

Linebacker: Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This might as well be a lifetime achievement award for one of the most underrated players in NFL history, but David is still getting it done at age 35. He is the all-time leader (since 1991) in defeats, and David was still making these big plays last season (tied for fourth with 29 defeats). David made his average run tackle after a gain of just 2.7 yards, which ranked sixth among starting off-ball linebackers, too.

His only (relative) weakness was pass coverage, where he had a below-average coverage DVOA and allowed 7.7 yards per target. He is back in Tampa Bay for another season after signing a one-year deal.

Cornerback: Christian Benford, Buffalo Bills

One of the tough parts of trying to identify an underrated cornerback is that the position's metrics are very inconsistent from season to season. But Benford is coming off two very strong seasons in a row, which doesn't seem like a fluke.

You might not have noticed Benford's 2024 impact because he had only two interceptions. But overall coverage success is based on a much larger sample of numbers than just INTs.

In 2023, Benford ranked 18th in my coverage DVOA metric among qualified corners. Last season, he climbed up to fourth overall. He was targeted on 10.1% of passes when he was on the field, one of the lowest figures in the league, and he allowed just 6.1 yards per target.

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Safety: Taylor Rapp, Buffalo Bills

We're going back to the Bills' defensive backfield here -- but in a different way. As I noted earlier, there are different ways to be an underrated NFL player. Benford, for instance, is considered good but is actually one of the best in the league at his position. Rapp, meanwhile, is considered a hole on the Buffalo roster -- but he's actually reasonably productive.

Although many have described the Bills' safeties as underwhelming, they were an important part of a defense that finished 11th in DVOA last season. They ranked seventh in defensive DVOA on deep passes (16 or more air yards), and Rapp was most frequently in the role of deep safety.

He also had a strong season as a tackler, with only four missed tackles compared to 48 solo tackles -- one of the lowest broken tackle rates in the league. And despite mostly playing back from the line of scrimmage, he ranked among the top 20 safeties with 48 run plays (tackles and assists).

Specialist: Corey Bojorquez, Cleveland Browns

The Browns' punter led the NFL in my gross punting metric last season, which is based on punt distance assuming average returns (adjusted for weather and altitude). Yet, Bojorquez had a negative net value because the Browns' punt coverage team was awful. This wasn't an issue of Bojorquez outkicking his coverage. He was third in the league with 36 punts inside the 20-yard line, but the Browns also allowed three returns of over 50 yards.

His talent can be seen in his consistency. Last season marked the fourth straight year that Bojorquez ranked in the top 10 for gross punt value. He was ninth in 2023, fifth in 2022 and 10th in 2021.