Most underappreciated NFL players: Top candidate for each AFC team entering 2025 season

Most NFL wide receivers are going to be kept off this list by their high Q Scores -- except in Baltimore, where wideouts tend to play second, third and fourth fiddle to running backs, tight ends and, duh, Lamar Jackson. If you're a secondary receiver, like Bateman, well, you're gonna have to search the back room for fiddle No. 5. Bateman was drafted with a first-round pick (No. 27 overall) in 2021 but spent most of his early career on the fringes of the offensive picture, thanks in large part to injuries that cost him big chunks of Years 1 and 2. So his elevation to productive WR2 in 2024 (he posted 45 catches, 756 receiving yards and nine receiving TDs, all personal highs) counts as a true breakout. He also tallied 35 receiving first downs, marking the first time in Jackson's career that more than two Baltimore pass-catchers posted 30 or more (Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews were the others). It is probably not a coincidence that Jackson hit new heights as a passer in 2024, performing so well that it felt like an upset when he didn't win a second consecutive MVP. The signing of DeAndre Hopkins might suppress Bateman's numbers a bit in 2025; then again, the addition of a more famous name to the position group chart only solidifies Bateman's spot here. 

The Bills' roster seems kind of light on household names at the moment, with a lot of guys who might otherwise have "diamond in the rough" profiles -- like Khalil Shakir, Gregory Rousseau and last year's pick for this spot, Christian Benford -- pushed into roles that just make them regular diamonds that you can now easily see. Luckily for me, Buffalo turned to Williams as an injury replacement for Matt Milano at one of the most underappreciated positions in the league, and the 2023 third-rounder thrived, recording nine or more tackles in eight of his 11 starts. He finished with more tackles (117) than anyone else on the team, also chipping in a forced fumble. Williams ceded the stage back to Milano when the veteran returned late in the year, but with Milano heading into Year 9, the Bills must be heartened to know they have a youngster in-house who can step up if needed.

I tried not to go overboard on tight ends, who could really dominate this exercise as mostly unsung pass-catching heroes. But Gesicki optimized his place in Cincinnati's offensive ecosystem so well that I simply couldn't overthink his spot here. The former first-round pick landed in Cincinnati on a one-year deal last offseason and quickly proved himself to be the most productive tight end of Joe Burrow's career, becoming the first Bengals player at the position to top 70 targets, 50 catches and 500 receiving yards in a season since Burrow was drafted in 2020. By settling in behind super-talented receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, he solved a spot on the field where the team had previously cycled through names like Drew Sample, C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst, helping Burrow lead one of the hottest passing offenses of 2024. Following a pair of down seasons in Miami and New England, it was not surprising to see Gesicki quip about happily paying a "Joe Burrow tax" to keep the good times rolling in Cincinnati with a new three-year deal.

Jordan Hicks isn't even the first pro athlete named Jordan Hicks to come up when I Google his name, bumped to second place by the San Francisco Giants pitcher -- yes, a baseball player. Do you know how underappreciated you have to be as a member of the NFL for that to be true? OK, so maybe I understand why a 32-year-old linebacker who had a quietly productive season for a massively disappointing Browns team might not be front of mind for fans of sports or people named Jordan Hicks, especially in May. All the more reason to highlight him here. Hicks joined up with his old Eagles boss, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, when he signed in Cleveland last year, and aside from some time missed with injuries, he continued to do what he's done for most of his career: put up numbers. In 12 starts, he generated 78 tackles and two sacks, earning the sixth-best defensive grade on the team from Pro Football Focus. And while expectations around the Browns might be low, the veteran is in line to play an important role again in the absence of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Cooper, Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen were the only three players from the same team to finish in the top 30 in total pressures in the NFL last season, according to Next Gen Stats -- and Cooper was the only member of that triumvirate not to receive a second-team All-Pro nod, a Pro Bowl honor or Defensive Player of the Year vote. So I'm doing what I can to balance the scales with the little power I have in my hands here. Like fellow 2021 draftees Patrick Surtain II and Quinn Meinerz, Cooper joined the franchise in the final year of the Vic Fangio era, going through Nathaniel Hackett's false-start reboot before finally blossoming under Sean Payton and Vance Joseph. Over the past two campaigns, Cooper totaled 19 sacks, cementing himself as a key piece of the Broncos' future. His parallel rise with the franchise serves as a reminder that, while organizational turnarounds can happen quickly, their roots are often traced to years of astute drafting and long-term player development.

Barnett played just 38% of the Texans' defensive snaps in 2024, easily the lowest in any season in which he suited up for more than one game, while compiling 5.0 sacks, tied for 72nd-most in the NFL. So what is he doing here? Well, scan his Pro Football Reference page a little further, until you see the one bolded number indicating he led the league with two fumble recoveries returned for a touchdown last year. Yes, fumble recoveries are generally luck-driven occurrences. But Barnett also put an undeniable amount of work into those scores. He initiated the first turnover by knocking the ball away from Cooper Rush in Dallas on Monday Night Football, then sprinted 28 yards to the house. And while the second, during the Week 18 finale, was the result of some offensive bumbling by the Titans, Barnett did carry an opposing player on his back into the end zone to finish off that 36-yard run. So much of success in the NFL (and, real talk, in life) is determined by factors outside of one's control. The former Eagles first-round pick, who was waived by Philly less than two years ago, might be long removed from his days as a regular starter, but he put himself in position to score when the ball bounced his way, matching a single-season high for fumble recovery TDs reached by just 35 other players since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. He also made an impact on his team -- and that surely played a part in him landing another deal in Houston this offseason. 

In many ways, the Colts' eight-win 2024 season was a re-run of their nine-win 2023, with questions about the quarterback position and general ceiling of the roster remaining unanswered. At least one nice new discovery was made, though: Cross emerged as a capable starting safety. The former 2022 third-round pick became the first Colts player since secondary-mate Kenny Moore in 2021 to finish a season with three-plus interceptions, at least one forced fumble and at least one sack. Cross also tied for the team lead in picks and ranked second in total tackles (146). Perhaps next, Cross can help new coordinator Lou Anarumo -- along with veteran additions Camryn Bynum and Charvarius Ward -- get more out of a defense that has ranked 24th or worse in both points and yards allowed in each of the past two seasons.

If Jacksonville hadn't parted ways with Evan Engram, Ronald Darby and Andre Cisco, one of them might have been the choice here, thanks to decent individual performances during an otherwise extremely forgettable year. But as someone young enough to have a key long-term role in the core being assembled by Liam Coen, Strange is more interesting, anyway. His 2024 totals (40 catches, 411 receiving yards and two scores) might look modest -- unless they're stacked next to his numbers from a quiet rookie year (nine targets, five catches, 35 yards and one TD), in which case they serve as enticing proof he could handle a massive uptick in workload during Engram’s injury absences. Strange finished third on the team in targets (53) and second in receiving yards and receiving first downs (21), averaging over 10 yards per catch in a passing offense that was basically propelled by one receiver (Brian Thomas Jr.) and frequently led by the likes of Mac Jones. His spot atop the depth chart and the enthusiastic public backing of Coen -- whose previous offenses for the Rams and Bucs featured plenty for tight ends Tyler Higbee (108 targets in 2022, most in Los Angeles that year) and Cade Otton (87 targets in 2024, second-most in Tampa that year) to do -- point to even brighter days ahead.

Gray's got two things propping up his underappreciated bonafides: 1) He's just one of the many pass-catchers to cycle into Patrick Mahomes' sights over the years; and 2) He's a non-Travis Kelce tight end in K.C., toiling in relative anonymity at the same position on the same team as one of the most famous people in the country. It would be silly on multiple counts to suggest Gray will be the "next Kelce," as if anyone could just jump onto that Hall of Fame trajectory. But it would make sense for Gray's role in the offense to keep expanding, with the 35-year-old Kelce's yards-per-catch mark (8.5) plunging in 2024, while Gray reached new highs in usage (49 targets) and production (437 receiving yards, five receiving TDs). Mahomes has thrown 1,175 passes to tight ends since he became the Chiefs' starter in 2018, 347 more than any other NFL QB in that span. Obviously, much of those went to Kelce. And while we don't know what life will look like for Mahomes and Co. after Kelce moves on, it seems safe to say that Gray -- who signed a three-year extension in 2024 -- will figure heavily into the picture.

It feels like Butler's career trajectory was crafted with the express purpose of landing him a spot on this list at this exact moment in time. He caught on with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017, totaled 15 sacks (and one Super Bowl ring) in four seasons, inked a deal in Miami and then was released a year later after a failed physical. After missing the 2022 season, Butler landed with the Raiders on a reserve/future contract in 2023 -- putting him fairly far on the under end of the appreciation spectrum. It all set up his late-career revival in Vegas as an extraordinary triumph. Butler registered 5.0 sacks as a rotational player in his first season with the Silver and Black, then hit that exact same number as a 16-game starter in 2024, stepping up after the loss of stud free-agent acquisition Christian Wilkins to injury early in the year. Butler's sneaky-good performance for a sneaky-decent Raiders defense (which ranked 15th overall and against the pass) earned him a three-year deal that must have been pretty gratifying. Especially with Wilkins still working his way back, Vegas will continue to count on Butler to provide interior pressure.

After a fitfully productive, injury-marred start to his career in Tennessee, Molden was traded to the Chargers last year and flourished under coordinator Jesse Minter, starting 12 games and logging three picks, seven passes defensed and 75 tackles, all personal highs, before landing on injured reserve with a broken fibula. The former cornerback's switch to safety paid off: He ranked sixth in the NFL at the position in EPA when targeted (-12.3), per NGS, and fit in well with Derwin James and Alohi Gilman. There is something satisfying when a change of scenery really clicks for a player, with a new coaching approach or better surrounding circumstances unlocking an underlying talent or ability to contribute, and that certainly seems to be what happened with Molden, who signed a new three-year pact with the Bolts this offseason.

I might have named yet another tight end here if Jonnu Smith hadn't actually been the most effective member of the Dolphins' offense last year. So I'll focus on Brewer, the former undrafted free agent who turned himself into a starter with the Titans, then signed with Miami last year. It might have been lost amid a season that was largely derailed by Tua Tagovailoa's absence with injury, but Brewer was a rock at the pivot, allowing a pressure rate of 3.2%, per NGS, second-best in the NFL among players with 100-plus pass-blocking snaps, plus a one-on-one pressure rate of 3.9%, sixth-lowest. It remains to be seen how second-year pro Patrick Paul will perform as the replacement for retired left tackle Terron Armstead, but if Brewer can help rookie Jonah Savaiinaea and free agent James Daniels lock down the interior, that should help the transition.

It's tough to be underappreciated as a member of a four-win team, given that true difference-makers tend to stand out. In New England, Drake Maye (Pro Bowl) and Christian Gonzalez (second-team All-Pro) were deservedly honored, while Brenden Schooler was recognized as a first-team All-Pro on special teams. They weren't the only players who posted promising efforts, though -- even if other contributors might have been blotted out by the overwhelming disappointment of 2024. A 2023 second-rounder who played just 49% of New England's defensive snaps as a rookie, White broke out in Year 2, racking up five sacks and 51 pressures -- both team highs -- with a pressure rate (12.5%) that ranked as the 13th-best among NFL players with 400-plus pass-rush snaps. One person who will be nodding along in agreement while reading this blurb: Milton Williams, the big-ticket free agent who said this offseason he can't wait to help White make the Pats' defensive front "nasty."

Even as the Aaron Rodgers experience was winding down to the bitter end last season, Tippmann was wrapping up one of the stronger pass-blocking campaigns in recent team history, at least according to the NGS metric of QB pressure rate allowed. Tippmann was credited with a mark of 4.8%, the second-lowest by any Jets offensive lineman to log 100-plus pass-blocking snaps in a season since 2016, bested only by Alijah Vera-Tucker's 4.2%, also last season. That was a healthy decrease from the 7.5% pressure rate Tippmann gave up as a rookie in 2023. Perhaps most encouragingly for Justin Fields, it was also lower than the QB pressure rate allowed by any Bears lineman he worked with in Chicago and roughly on par with what Zach Frazier managed in front of Fields in Pittsburgh last season (5.2%). If Tippmann continues on this trajectory, he could help his linemates provide Fields with stronger protection than the QB's ever had as a pro.

Warren played second banana to the solid but unremarkable Najee Harris in each of his first three pro seasons, and his place in the Steelers offense might now be somewhat overshadowed by the addition of big-play receiver DK Metcalf and rookie running back Kaleb Johnson, as well as the still-unsolved mystery of who will play quarterback. How much will his workload increase now that Harris is with the Chargers? Who knows? But as a proven playmaker in his prime, Warren does stand alone in the RB room. He's also one of the more potent forces in the league, at least on a per-touch basis, owning a career mark of 5.5 yards, which is sixth-highest over the past three years among players with 400-plus touches. However muddy the overall picture might get in Pittsburgh, Warren should be able to continue to make a difference.

It might be easy to forget amid the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, that some things did work in Tennessee last season. Like, for example, the defense, which finished second in both passing yards and overall yards allowed. Sure, that might have something to do with the short fields opponents were provided by a Titans offense that tied for the league lead in giveaways, but it's still not nothing! And as ugly as the team's turnover margin was (-16), Hooker did his damndest to pull the balance in Tennessee's favor, racking up five picks and two forced fumbles, both career highs. He also posted the best EPA when targeted (-9.6) and second-lowest passer rating allowed (69.4) among Titans players with at least 100 coverage snaps last season, per NGS. Third-round pick Kevin Winston might line up as the eventual replacement for the seventh-year pro, who has one more season left on his current contract. But in the meantime, Hooker can try to help the defense give Ward the friendliest possible environment to develop into the player this franchise needs him to be.