The Most Overrated and Underrated NFL Free Agents Still Available

Plenty of free agents are still available in the NFL, even after the dozens of signings we have seen through the first few weeks of the new league year. 

Some are better than others—thanks to Captain Obvious for making an appearance—but that isn't necessarily reflected in their public demand or, at least, in the amount of coverage.

Let's take a look at some of the most underrated and overrated players available right now. These are subjective based on the amount of coverage each player has gotten thus far—namely on social media—or just how big a player's name or reputation is in the NFL universe.

Underrated: RB Pierre Thomas

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

For years the New Orleans Saints took a hydra approach to the backfield, despite doing things like trading a future first-round pick to be able to draft Mark Ingram.

Maybe they should have given one guy the ball more often.

Pierre Thomas has been an underrated commodity for years, a complete back capable of running a power dive and a wheel route alike. Injuries slowed his career down, but Thomas has been relatively healthy over the past couple of seasons.

More importantly, he has been efficient with his touches—he averaged 4.9 yards per carry and 8.4 yards per receptions on 45 catches last season. That's not too shabby for a part-time player.

He is 30, which is probably scaring some teams away. He only has 1,165 career touches to his name, however—about half as many as Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, alongside whom Thomas entered the league. 

Overrated: CB Ike Taylor

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Ike Taylor has had a nice career as a starting cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But his time has pretty much passed in the NFL.

Taylor is little more than a name these days, which is probably why he is already thinking about his post-football career as a broadcaster, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

In case any fans or teams were thinking about Taylor as an option, it's worth remembering he played just 263 snaps last season and was still rated among the worst cornerbacks in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Underrated: RB Ahmad Bradshaw

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He is coming off injury, which is likely the main reason he hasn't gotten any play on the market, but Ahmad Bradshaw could be a great addition to any roster.

It's hard to believe he just turned 29, but Bradshaw still has some productive years left in him if he can stay healthy. More importantly, he is a veteran option who can do many things well out of the backfield—just ask the Indianapolis Colts.

Bradshaw caught a crazy number of touchdowns last season before getting hurt—six, to be exact—and that is unlikely to repeat itself. But he'll provide a nice balance to one lucky backfield next season, once suitors get over his injury. 

Underrated: OT Joe Barksdale

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

When Rodger Saffold went down with injury in Week 2 of the 2013 season, it seemed like the St. Louis offensive line would crumble. In stepped Joe Barksdale, however, and the line held.

Barksdale played well enough to keep his starting gig even after Saffold came back, and he was the starter for the Rams last season.

His 2014 campaign wasn't quite as good as 2013, but he was still a solid starter. That's why the Rams are reportedly interested in re-signing him, as tweeted by ESPN's Adam Caplan.

And why wouldn't they? Durability and reliability are valuable, even if quality of play is close to average. That's what Barksdale brings to the table, making him one of the more underrated guys available in free agency.

Underrated: C Brian De La Puente

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Brian De La Puente finds himself on the free-agent market for the second consecutive offseason.

That is despite solid play for years with the New Orleans Saints and a pretty good stint with the Chicago Bears last season. He managed to rate out as the seventh-best center in the league over at Pro Football Focus despite playing just 320 snaps at the position before getting injured.

He even played a little guard, though that didn't quite work out as well for the Bears.

Sure, he plays center, but it's a wonder De La Puente hasn't landed a new gig yet. Maybe there's a vicious rumor going around that he doesn't wear deodorant.

Maybe I should have applied some to that joke.

Overrated: RB Stevan Ridley

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He, too, is coming back from an injury, but Stevan Ridley isn't likely going to be nearly as valuable as Ahmad Bradshaw going forward.

Sure, he has shown flashes of his potential, and he is still just 26 years old, but Ridley's frequent bouts of fumbleitis are concerning enough to short-circuit his free agency.

Ridley has lost nine fumbles in a four-year career as a part-time player, and that is part of the reason he wasn't on the field more. Bill Belichick has no patience for these kinds of things.

For all those flashes of potential, Ridley hasn't been terribly efficient with the ball either—he has a career average of 4.3 yards per carry, which dropped down to 3.6 last season.

Underrated: TE James Casey

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

All the hullabaloo about Jimmy Graham being traded, Julius Thomas signing the richest contract for tight ends in history and Charles Clay landing an unexpected, monster deal with the Buffalo Bills has completely buried everyone else at the position.

One of the men who are trying to dig up through the dirt is James Casey. Underutilized in his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles—and, somewhat, with the Houston Texans—the versatile tight end finds himself adrift in the free-agent waters.

Casey may not be near the top of the league at his position, but he could be a valuable asset. He can be an H-back type of player in the same vein as Clay, who got $20 million guaranteed with the Bills. 

The 6'3", 235-pound pass-catcher has consistently rated as one of the better players at his position over at Pro Football Focus despite playing far fewer snaps than his peers. That was even the case in 2012, when he was classified as a fullback for the Texans.

He is going to make some lucky team quite happy if it actually gets him on the field.

Overrated: LB Larry Foote

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Once a stalwart of a stout defense, Larry Foote is a shell of his former self.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers starter played last season with the Arizona Cardinals, and it may have been his last season. That's straight from the horse's mouth—much like his former teammate, Ike Taylor, Foote is already thinking about life beyond the gridiron.

Unlike Taylor, Foote's desire is to stay close to football. This is what his Cardinals coach, Bruce Arians, had to say about Foote, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He feels good and he played very well for us last season,” Arians said between coaches’ meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. “But we want to have him around because of what he means in the locker room. If he feels he can play, he might.”

At 35, it's easy to see why he might be hanging it up. Plenty of teams could use a veteran linebacker, but those teams should really take a look at him trying to cover tight ends last season.

Underrated: S Dawan Landry

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

With a major influx of talent in the New York Jets secondary, Dawan Landry became expendable. Or, more accurately, the Jets could afford to let him go in free agency.

The 32-year-old is in the twilight of his career, but his play doesn't necessarily reflect that. Despite a veritable dearth of big plays throughout his career, Landry has become a quality safety in recent years.

Granted, Rex Ryan may have had something to do with that, and Landry may well end up back with his old coach in Buffalo. Whatever the case may be, Pro Football Focus thought he was one of the better safeties in the league the past couple of seasons—interceptions (or a lack thereof) be damned.

Overrated: WR Michael Crabtree

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There has been plenty of buzz about Michael Crabtree in recent days thanks largely to his visit with the Miami Dolphins, one that did not produce a contract.

That may be a good thing for Miami—after all, how much is Crabtree really worth? Probably not as much as he thinks, at any rate.

True, he is a 27-year-old who may well turn his career around after his recent decline, but the statistics don't lie—he has averaged 11.3 yards per catch since returning from his torn Achilles tendon. The tape confirms his ineffectiveness as Crabtree struggled to get separation on a consistent basis last season.

Being a former first-round pick with a fantasy football pull creates a bit of a false market in the public, however, and far more people are interested in bringing Crabtree in than should be the case. Unless he was sandbagging or still recovering from injury last season, he is clearly a role player at this point.

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