The NFL's Most Underrated Stars Since 2000

The NFL is a star-driven league, and there has been no shortage of household names over the past 25 years. However, while many players from the past quarter-century are still instantly recognizable, a few greats have already begun fading from memory.

We're talking about underrated stars who were among the best at their positions for stretches of their careers. Yet, they aren't widely considered NFL legends like Tom Brady, Calvin Johnson, Darrelle Revis, or Jason Kelce.

Here, you'll find our picks for the NFL's most underrated stars since the year 2000. We'll look specifically at players who had strong careers but who aren't in the Hall of Fame, didn't earn spots on B/R's All-Quarter-Century Team or on our list of every franchise's Mt. Rushmore.

QB Alex Smith

Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini

Of all the quarterbacks who had lengthy careers over the past 25 years, Alex Smith is probably appreciated the least. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Smith never quite had a career that lived up to his draft status. However, he was anything but a bust.

Smith's legacy suffers partly because the Green Bay Packers selected Aaron Rodgers later in the 2005 draft.

Rodgers went on to win four MVP awards and a Super Bowl, casting a shadow over Smith's achievements. He didn't have nearly the same level of success for the San Francisco 49ers.

However, Smith did compile a respectable 38-36-1 record and appear in one NFC Championship Game for San Francisco before he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.

The Utah product had a resurgent career in Kansas City, leading the Chiefs to four playoff berths and two division titles while making three Pro Bowls.

Smith also mentored a guy named Patrick Mahomes late in his Kansas City career, which may be why that chapter is so overlooked.

Finally, Smith was traded to the Washington Commanders. In Washington, he returned from a career-altering leg injury and life-threatening infection to help lead the Commanders to the playoffs in 2019.

Smith finished his career with 35,650 passing yards, 199 touchdown passes, 2,604 rushing yards, a 99-67-1 record and one of the most fascinating career arcs this side of Nick Foles.

And Foles got himself a statue.

RB Darren Sproles

AP Photo/Roger Steinman

We did mention running back and returner Darren Sproles on our list of All-Quarter-Century Team snubs. There's a good reason for that. A lot of fans never saw or have forgotten just how dynamic the undersized baller was.

Early in his career, Sproles' 5'6", 190-pound frame made him a novelty. There simply weren't many players of his size doing what he did in the NFL. However, the Kansas State product wasn't a novelty. He was a really fantastic pro player and one of the top all-around weapons of the last 25 years.

Sproles was electric as a returner and as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. He was also far more capable of getting tough yards on the ground than most might have realized.

For his career, Sproles averaged 4.9 yards per carry and rushed for 23 touchdowns. A three-time Pro Bowler, Sproles also led the NFL in punt return yards twice and led the league in scrimmage yards once.

A 2005 fourth-round pick, Sproles played for 14 seasons and 183 games with the Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. He ranks sixth on the all-time all-purpose yards list behind Jerry Rice, Brian Mitchell, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, and Frank Gore.

WR Keenan Allen

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

Chargers WR Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen is entering his 13th NFL season, now back in L.A. after a year with the Bears. At 33, he may have lost a step, but he continues to add to an overlooked legacy.

Despite being a six-time Pro Bowler, his name rarely came up, even in his prime, when the game's top receivers were discussed. A 2013 third-round pick out of Cal, Allen was almost viewed as more of a good story than an elite pass-catcher, which he was when at his best.

Between 2017 and 2023, Allen topped 1,100 receiving yards in five of seven seasons.

Now, playing with quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert for the bulk of his career certainly helped Allen in the production department. However, their presence doesn't change the fact that he's a 6'2", 211-pound pass-catcher who can win with shiftiness and precise route-running in addition to size.

He didn't fly completely under the radar during his prime. Pro Bowls aside, he had a fairly high-profile reputation as one of the most underrated players in the league—The Athletic's Daniel Popper wrote an article on the subject in 2020.

With 974 receptions, 11,274 receiving yards and 66 touchdowns on his resume, Allen is still in the midst of an underrated career.

OT Jordan Gross

AP Photo/Mike McCarn

The Carolina Panthers have been in what has felt like a yearly rebuild ever since the prime years of Cam Newton and since David Tepper became the franchise owner in 2018.

It's easy to forget that long before Newton was an MVP, the Panthers were legitimate title contenders.

Carolina lost the Super Bowl XXXVIII to the New England Patriots after the 2003 season and made it to the NFC title game in 2005. One of the catalysts of its early 2000s run was offensive tackle Jordan Gross.

The Utah product was selected eighth overall in the 2003 draft and immediately became a full-time starter on the right side of Carolina's offensive line. Over the next 11 seasons, he started all 167 games in which he appeared, made three Pro Bowls and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2008.

What's probably underappreciated about Gross' career is the fact that he played both right and left tackle for the Panthers and, early in his career, switched between the two on a year-to-year basis.

Gross retired following the 2014 season, just before Newton's 2015 MVP campaign and Carolina's latest Super Bowl appearance.

Had he played that season and garnered just a bit more individual recognition, Gross might be considered one of the best tackles of this century instead of just a Panthers legend.

G Brandon Scherff

AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Here's how underappreciated longtime starting guard Brandon Scherff is: In an interview with Scherff for Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics, John Bohnenkamp casually noted on August 6 that he had retired. That information largely went unnoticed for more than a week before major outlets like NFL.com even mentioned it.

The Iowa product was, for a time, considered one of the top interior linemen in the game. Of course, he was largely just playing up to expectations as the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft—guards tend to fly under the radar unless they're surprising or significantly disappointing.

The fact that Scherff was a five-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro for the Washington Commanders seemed to generate less fanfare than the fact that he was given the franchise tag in back-to-back years before departing in 2021 free agency.

Scherff spent the last three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he essentially found anonymity. He started all 53 games for the Jaguars (including playoffs) for Jacksonville before finishing his contract and, apparently, quietly walking away.

DE John Abraham

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

You can bet pass-rusher John Abraham isn't being underrated by a certain subset of Atlanta Falcons fans. It feels like the team has been searching for a dominant sack artist ever since he was released in 2013 and moved on to the Arizona Cardinals.

The fact that Abraham played for three different franchises in his 15-year career—which began with the New York Jets—might help explain why he doesn't garner more attention. He received a couple of votes for B/R's All-Quarter-Century team but wasn't close to making the squad.

Abraham, the 13th overall pick in the 2000 draft, never spent more than seven seasons with one team and never topped 12 sacks in consecutive seasons. However, he was productive at every single stop and had some truly remarkable campaigns.

In New York, Abrahm received three Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro selection. His last Pro Bowl season with the Jets was in 2004, but Abraham was again a Pro Bowler with the Falcons in 2010 and with the Cardinals in 2013.

Abraham finished his career with 133.5 sacks and 148 tackles for loss. He is currently tied for 18th on the unofficial all-time career sacks list—sacks didn't become an official statistic until 1982.

DE Justin Tuck

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Justin Tuck didn't have the lengthy, prolific career Abraham had. He finished with a relatively modest 66.5 career sacks, though he was arguably more impactful as a run defender than an edge-rusher anyway.

Tuck logged 102 tackles for loss in his 11 seasons and earned two Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro selection.

Of course, Tuck is most notable for being a key member of the New York Giants' Super Bowl teams in 2007 and 2011—and quite possibly their most important defender.

The Notre Dame product tallied two sacks and four tackles for loss during the 2007 playoffs and 3.5 sacks with three tackles for loss during the 2011 postseason run.

Tuck recorded 26 tackles and 21 solo stops during those two playoff runs alone.

One reason for Tuck's relative obscurity is that Michael Strahan became the face of the 2007 defense, and his profile only grew after retiring in 2008.

Tuck also finished his career with the Las Vegas Raiders, a franchise that has ushered several former stars into obscurity. He may not have the raw numbers to get into the Hall of Fame, but he is a two-time champion who far exceeded expectations as a 2005 third-round draft pick.

LB NaVorro Bowman

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

There was a time when one could make an argument that NaVorro Bowman was the best all-around linebacker in the NFL. However, injuries cut short the Penn State product's career, and many fans have likely forgotten about his greatness.

A third-round pick in the 2010 draft, he seemed destined to take the torch from San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis, who retired in 2014. Bowman was a first-team All-Pro in his second season, which began a noteworthy stretch—though not entirely for positive reasons.

Bowman was a first-team All-Pro for three straight seasons before suffering a torn ACL and MCL in the 2013 NFC Championship Game. He missed the entire 2014 season before returning with one of the best seasons we've seen this century. He led the NFL with 154 tackles and 116 solo stops in 2015 and was again named a first-team All-Pro.

Unfortunately, Bowman's run of dominance ended there. A torn Achilles cut short his 2016 season, and he was released during the 2017 season before finishing his career that year with the Raiders.

While Bowman's run as an elite linebacker was brief, it was incredible to witness. Despite playing in only 99 career games, he managed to amass five interceptions, nine forced fumbles, 14 sacks, 798 tackles, 585 solo stops, 48 tackles for loss, three Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro selections.

CB Nnamdi Asomugha

AP PhotoMarcio Sanchez

Long before he was winning awards at film festivals like Sundance and Tribeca, Nnamdi Asomugha was starring as one of the best cover corners in the entire NFL. Like Bowman, though, he had a brief run of dominance that has caused him to be underrated in the overall scope of this century.

A contemporary of Darrelle Revis, Asomaugha didn't have a catchphrase that earned him a piece of NFL lore. What he had was a set of ball skills that, briefly, allowed him to compete with Revis for the title of NFL's best cornerback.

The 31st overall pick in the 2003 draft, Asomugha didn't become a full-time starter until his third season with the Raiders. He was a second-team All-Pro by Year 4, though, following a 2006 campaign that included 19 passes defended and eight interceptions. By 2008, the recognition started to come as opposing quarterbacks looked to avoid Asomugha.

The Cal product logged just two interceptions between 2008 and 2010, but he was a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro during that stretch.

After the 2010 season, though, Asomugha quickly fell out of the spotlight. He joined the ill-fated Philadelphia Eagles "Dream Team" in 2011 and was out of the league before the end of the 2013 season.

Asomugha never racked up the kind of statistics that are likely to earn him serious Hall of Fame consideration (79 passes defended, 15 INTs, 408 tackles). Of course, raw statistics can't illustrate just how effective Asomugha was at press coverage and how frequently he shut down opposing No. 1 receivers during his prime.

S Bob Sanders

AP Photo/Darron Cummings

Longtime Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders is in a category of his own.

The Iowa product didn't just have a short overall career (though he did) or shine so long ago that he's largely been forgotten (though he has). The reality is that injuries kept him off the field so often that he never became a household name.

A second-round pick in the 2004 draft, Sanders spent his first seven seasons in Indianapolis before finishing his career with the Chargers. Despite playing for eight years, though, injuries limited him to just 50 regular-season games.

In fact, Sanders only appeared in more than six games in two of his eight seasons. Of course, when he was healthy, he was a dominant force. He played 14 games in 2005 and was a first-team All-Pro. He played 15 games in 2007 and was a first-team All-Pro and the Defensive Player of the Year.

Between those two campaigns, Sanders helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI. A knee injury limited him to four regular-season games in 2006, but he returned to rack up 22 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble in the playoffs.

Sanders finished his 50-game career with 307 tackles, 229 solo stops,10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and six interceptions. His impact as a physical, hard-hitting, fly-around-the-field safety was even greater than those numbers might suggest—though his reckless playing style probably had a lot to do with his lack of durability.