NFL's Top 25 Most Overrated Players Heading into 2011
No one sets out to be overrated. It just happens.
Joe Namath was overrated by the media—definitely not his fault, but nevertheless his entire career has the footnote of "overrated" attached to it.
We place the label of overrated on players who are overpaid, over-hyped and over-covered by the ESPNs of the world.
Which players in the NFL rank as the most overrated for 2011?
We're glad you asked.
25. Plaxico Burress, Wide Receiver, New York Giants
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How can a player who has been in prison for 21 months be considered overrated?
It's pretty dang easy.
Since word of his June 6 release was announced, Plaxico Burress' name has been all over the national football news wires.
Burress was an average NFL receiver before his incarceration. At 34 years old this season, it's unfair to expect much from Burress, especially early on.
In boxing there is a saying that a guy has "been on the couch," meaning he's not in boxing shape. This is the most fitting term we can apply here.
24. Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys
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Before anyone freaks out and starts screaming "bias," please read what is below.
Dez Bryant is a very talented young wide receiver. His future is unlimited.
The issue is that before the 2010 season and even now people are anointing him as the second coming of Jerry Rice.
Bryant does have the physical skills and talent to become a top-five wide receiver, but to date he has not shown the ability to stay healthy nor the work ethic to become the best.
Until Bryant shows a commitment to the game equal to his hype, we will consider him overrated.
23. Michael Crabtree, Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers
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When Michael Crabtree was at Texas Tech, I considered him to be one of the best college wide receivers ever.
That Michael Crabtree has not been seen in San Francisco after two seasons.
While the hype surrounding Crabtree has cooled considerably over the past 24 months, he is still looked at with bright eyes when you talk to NFL fans, especially 49ers fans.
Crabtree, much like Dez Bryant, is insanely talented but has not shown the maturity or work ethic to succeed at a rate that matches his ability.
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22. Braylon Edwards, Wide Receiver, New York Jets
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You would think that Braylon Edwards was an All-Pro wide receiver by scrolling through team articles and message boards.
Nope, the free-agent wide receiver is not an All-Pro, he is just highly overrated.
As the No. 3 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft there is still some hype surrounding Braylon Edwards' name. What he should be known for is dropping the football, not catching it.
Edwards led the NFL in drops in 2008 and 2009, but rebounded for a decent season in 2010. It's still not enough to justify the attention given to Edwards by NFL fans.
21. Kyle Orton, Quarterback, Denver Broncos
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Career passer rating: 79.6
Career record when starting: 32-29
Career completion percentage: 58.1
Not great numbers by any means. So why are fans of the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and more hoping to land the incredibly average quarterback?
There is this belief that Orton is better than his numbers.
He's not.
Orton was pushed out of Chicago and has improved during his time in Denver, but what you see is what you get with Kyle Orton.
20. Vince Young, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
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The most-used line when referring to quarterback Vince Young is that he "just wins games."
Really? Young is 30-17 in five years. For those non-math majors, that's just six wins per season under Young.
Yes, he's been injured and was also used sparingly at times, but the verdict on Young can be written already.
"Immature quarterback who has not developed at a rate expected of a high first-round pick."
19. Mike Jenkins, Cornerback, Dallas Cowboys
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Does the Pro Bowl really mean anything these days? Most NFL fans you talk to would say no, that the game is a mockery and purely a popularity contest.
That's our point, exactly.
Dallas cornerback Mike Jenkins is living off his one good season in 2009 when he had five interceptions and 19 passes defensed.
The real Jenkins was on display in 2010 with one interception and four passes defensed.
18. Brian Cushing, Inside Linebacker, Houston Texans
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Performance-enhancing drugs are amazing, aren't they?
In 2009, Brian Cushing was a beast, terrorizing NFL offenses en route to the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
And then, in March of 2010, Cushing was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for failing a drug test and violating the NFL's anti-steroid policy.
I'm not saying Cushing was juicing, but it sure does look that way.
With a full season on the horizon in 2011, we would not be surprised to see Cushing's name start to flash as a Pro Bowl-caliber player, but the fact of the matter is that he hasn't been the same since coming back after suspension.
17. Percy Harvin, Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings
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Percy Harvin has never posted a 1,000-yard season. He's never had more than eight touchdowns in a year. And yet he's been voted to a Pro Bowl and named the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Why?
Because the NFL, fans and writers, are punch drunk with return men and do-it-all players like Harvin.
Harvin entered the NFL landscape just as the "Wildcat offense" craze was at its peak, and his popularity soared as writers dreamed up ways the Vikings would dominate with Harvin touching the ball in a variety of roles.
But the thing is, he didn't. Harvin can have one or two big plays but is largely controllable. As a receiver he's never been great, despite accolades and attention that would suggest otherwise.
Harvin is a very talented athlete, but he's far from an accomplished football player.
16. DeAngelo Williams, Running Back, Carolina Panthers
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When looking at the NFL free agency landscape you will notice that running back DeAngelo Williams largely ranks as the best available running back, even on my own personal list.
In retrospect, that may have been ambitious.
Williams peaked in 2008 with an amazing 1,515 yards and 18 touchdowns. The following season he posted 1,117 yards and then in 2010 he was only able to get to 361 yards before being injured.
And there is the problem: Williams may not be able to hold up as a one-man backfield.
At 5'8" and 210 lbs, Williams is on the small side for a featured back, and hits could be catching up to him.
Williams is definitely talented, but maybe not as much as us NFL writers are projecting him to be during the slow summer months.
15. Brandon Meriweather, Safety, New England Patriots
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Brandon Meriweather plays for one of the best teams in the NFL, was a popular player at Miami, is a big hitter and has posted pretty good interception numbers.
So, what's the deal?
Meriweather is also bad in coverage, so much so that Bill Belichick has moved him around and even replaced him in big games. Pro Bowl safeties are not supposed to be pulled for three starts, but Meriweather was in 2010.
14. Reggie Bush, Running Back, New Orleans Saints
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What more can be said about Reggie Bush and the disappointment he has been in the NFL?
Bush, drafted No. 2 overall in 2006, has done little to nothing to warrant his draft position.
In five seasons Bush is averaging just 6.5 all-purpose touchdowns, a far cry from what was expected of the Heisman Trophy winner.
Bush's contract, media appearances and overall popularity are not in line with his production.
13. Bob Sanders, Strong Safety, San Diego Chargers
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Drafted in 2004, Bob Sanders has never played all 16 games in a single season.
And he's still called "one of the best safeties in the NFL, when healthy."
The fact is, Sanders is never healthy. The Colts gave up on him after he played in just nine games over the last three seasons.
Let's go back to that. Nine games in three years. That means Sanders missed 39 games, even though he was paid for them.
Yes, Sanders was amazing early in his career. Now he is just an overpaid placeholder on the injured reserve list.
12. Darnell Dockett, Defensive Tackle, Arizona Cardinals
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Darnell Dockett is a must-follow on Twitter. As an NFL player, he's just average. Despite what he may tell you.
Dockett has never posted 50 tackles in a season. He has never had 10 sacks. Compared to other defensive tackles, his passes-defensed numbers are also painfully low.
Is that being picky? Perhaps, but that is our job here.
Dockett is a funny guy, and a good football player, but he is by no means elite.
11. Marion Barber, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys
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Marion Barber made the Pro Bowl in 2007 with a strong season, featuring 975 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Not amazing numbers, and probably not good enough for most Pro Bowl rosters, but Barber made it any way.
Which leads us back to our firm belief that the Pro Bowl is largely all about the team you play for.
Barber has been a good rotation running back in his day, but never a feature back or someone who NFL teams have feared.
His 3.3 yards per carry in 2010 might just signal the downward spiral of his career in Dallas.
10. Tim Tebow, Quarterback, Denver Broncos
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A quarterback with a 1-2 record as a starter and a laughable 50 percent completion percentage in his rookie year was somehow lauded as one of the next great NFL players this summer.
Why?
Tim Tebow is a great leader, but he's a very average quarterback. And that may be too nice.
Tebow could have a brilliant career as a coach or motivational speaker. As an NFL quarterback we have seen nothing to suggest he has the talent to be a starter in the NFL.
And here's a hunch: John Fox and John Elway already know this.
9. Jason Babin, Defensive End, Tennessee Titans
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Jason Babin was drafted in 2004. Since that time, he has played for five teams and posted more than five sacks just once, in 2010.
That track record, and label as a draft bust, somehow added up to Babin being named the 85th-best player in the NFL by his peers.
And no, there is not a number missing there, but we would suggest perhaps adding a "1."
Babin has had one good season following a five-year record of, quite honestly, nothing.
Babin has the rare misfortune of being overrated by his coworkers.
8. Tony Romo, Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
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Last October, Sports Illustrated set out to interview 269 NFL players and ask them who the most overrated players in the NFL are.
Plenty of those players made our list. The first is quarterback of America's Team.
Romo finished second on the list with seven percent of the vote. The good news for Romo, and probably part of the reason for his being overrated, is that his new wife is smoking hot.
So, he has that going for him.
7. Donovan McNabb, Quarterback, Washington Redskins
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One player who did not make the SI list who should have is quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Not to go all Rush Limbaugh on anyone—this has nothing to do with race—but McNabb has always been overrated by the NFL media and fans.
For his career he will go down as having accumulated amazing statistics while never winning a Super Bowl, much like Dan Marino, but was McNabb really that good?
Some food for thought:
McNabb is No. 4 among active quarterbacks in fumbles. He is only No. 25 on the active completion percentage list. Oh, and he's second among active quarterbacks in yards lost to sacks and times sacked.
McNabb was good, but never great.
6. Mark Sanchez, Quarterback, New York Jets
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Guess who finished third on the SI list of the most overrated players?
Quarterback Mark Sanchez.
The same Mark Sanchez nicknamed the "Sanchize." The same guy who has led the Jets to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons.
But did he lead them to the playoffs or simply not get in the way of the talent around him?
Sanchez has been solid for a young quarterback, but he has not done enough to warrant the national attention that comes with playing quarterback in New York.
5. DeAngelo Hall, Cornerback, Washington Redskins
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DeAngelo Hall's inclusion on the NFC Pro Bowl team last year highlights the ridiculousness of the entire game and the way the rosters are selected.
Hall may have defended 16 passes and notched six interceptions (thank you Jay Cutler), but his other numbers show why he shouldn't have been voted to the Pro Bowl.
In fact, Football Outsiders ranked him as the third-worst cornerback in the NFL in 2010.
A favorite argument that I hear is, "But Hall was the MVP of the Pro Bowl," which is a lot like getting a green ribbon at track and field day.
The Pro Bowl doesn't matter, and neither does the MVP award that comes with it.
4. Mario Williams, Outside Linebacker, Houston Texans
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For whatever it's worth, the famed class of 2006's top three picks are all on this list.
Mario Williams, Reggie Bush and Vince Young all rank as the some of the most overrated players in the game.
Williams has been the best of the three, but he is still not worthy of being the No. 1 pick nor a two-time Pro Bowl player.
In somewhat justifying news, in Williams' best season he posted 14 sacks and did not even make the Pro Bowl. It was his 2008 season of 12 sacks and nine in 2009 that saw him invited to the postseason All-Star game.
Williams was very good in 2007 and 2008, but he has also declined dramatically since then.
3. Terrell Owens, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
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And the No. 1 player on the Sports Illustrated poll of the most overrated players in the NFL? Mr. Terrell Owens.
Owens received an overwhelming 14 percent of the vote, twice the amount of the runner-up.
Owens has been a great receiver at times in his career, but he has also been known for his inability to take a hit to catch the ball in traffic (this is where the term "alligator arms" comes from) and his me-first attitude.
Owens has produced at a Hall of Fame level, especially early in his career, but his attitude and tendency to question his quarterbacks keep Owens on both the players list and this one.
2. Eli Manning, Quarterback, New York Giants
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Is there a such thing as an "East Coast bias" in the media? We tend to think so.
Look closer at our list and you will see that all three of the four starting quarterbacks from the NFC East are mentioned (McNabb, Romo and Manning), as well as five other players in that same division. The AFC East is well represented, too.
Leading the way for all quarterbacks and players of the East is Eli Manning.
No player has ever received more promotions, more attention and more popularity based on pure nepotism than Eli.
The younger Manning won a Super Bowl on a lucky Hail Mary-type throw and horrible defensive decision by the Patriots secondary. What else has he done?
1. Kevin Williams, Defensive Tackle, Minnesota Vikings
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What I am about to write is going to piss off a lot of people. I'm sorry.
Kevin Williams ranks as our most overrated player in the NFL. And not until I started looking at his stats in ranking my top 100 players in the NFL did I realize it.
Here's a breakdown.
| Year | Tackles | Sacks | PD | FF | Awards |
| 2004 | 52 | 11.5 | 8 | 2 | Pro Bowl, 1st team All-Pro |
| 2005 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 0 | None |
| 2006 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 0 | Pro Bowl, 1st team All-Pro |
| 2007 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 1 | Pro Bowl, 1st team All-Pro |
| 2008 | 46 | 8 | 4 | 1 | Pro Bowl, 1st team All-Pro |
| 2009 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 1 | Pro Bowl, 1st team All-Pro |
| 2010 | 27 | 1 | 10 | 1 | Pro Bowl |
Kevin Williams has been living off his stellar 2004 season for six years. In that time he has not led the NFL in any defensive category and has never been in the top 10 in sacks or tackles since.
And for those who might argue that at his position he shouldn't, we're calling you out. Williams plays in a three-technique tackle position. The same position that Warren Sapp tore the NFL apart at.
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