The 5 Most Underrated Players in the NFL Entering 2026 Season

The NFL may run on star power, but it takes more than just big-name talent to win a Super Bowl.

The Seattle Seahawks became the latest team to prove that, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February thanks to a myriad of contributions from overlooked and unheralded players.

These under-the-radar talents may not draw headlines, sell jerseys or drive ticket sales, but they help their team accomplish the most important thing in the league: winning football games.

Every year, playoff contenders emerge that are chock-full of key contributors who make smart plays and put their stamp on games by doing the dirty work.

There are plenty of undervalued players poised to make an impact this year.

Whether they are ascending young prospects poised to finally break out or proven veterans seeking the awards and recognition they should have already earned, these underrated players—based on factors such as playing in smaller markets, sharing the spotlight, a lack of Pro Bowl nominations and/or middling statistics that don't tell the full story of their contributions—should command more respect by the end of the 2026 NFL season.

WR Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Jalen Coker has already accomplished much for an undrafted free agent, but the Carolina Panthers wideout appears to only be scratching the surface of his potential.

The 24-year-old first emerged in 2024, catching 32 balls for 478 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. Coker's stats didn't jump off the page last season either—he posted a 33/394/3 line—but he took a noticeable leap and developed into a dependable, versatile weapon for a young Panthers squad that battled to its first NFC South crown in a decade.

Despite having to contend with Offensive Rookie of the Year winner Tetairoa McMillan for targets, Coker still jumped up in Carolina's pecking order—finishing second on the team in both receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns—while contributing a slew of key blocks for his teammates.

Coker may not be the fastest, strongest, tallest or most athletic receiver out there, but he's honed his craft to the point he can be a dependable weapon for a playoff contender. He finds soft spots in zone coverage, isn't afraid to go across the middle and wins physical battles against defensive backs at the catch point.

Quarterback Bryce Young has more mouths to feed in 2026 following the arrival of third-round pick Chris Brazzell II, but Coker still stands to see the field for approximately two-thirds of the squad's offensive snaps for the third consecutive year. He's simply become too dependable and too good of a blocker to keep on the sidelines.

OT Jermaine Eluemunor, New York Giants

AP Photo/Rusty Jones

The New York Giants are on the cusp of breaking through after a painful stretch of losing seasons.

The team brought in a new head coach in John Harbaugh and several other high-profile additions to help get over the hump, but one of their most important moves of the offseason was retaining incumbent offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor.

The 31-year-old was a late bloomer, suiting up sporadically for three different franchises over his first half-decade in the league. He finally became a regular starter for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, parlaying a successful two-year run with the club into a modest free-agency contract with the G-Men in 2024.

Eluemunor has been a revelation since joining Big Blue, starting all but three games for the club while becoming one of the most important pieces in the offensive trenches.

During his first season in the Big Apple, he seamlessly transitioned from the right guard position he was expected to man to right tackle following an injury to Evan Neal. He thrived as a bookend to Andrew Thomas, holding up especially well in pass protection.

While the Giants suffered through a tumultuous 2025 campaign that saw head coach Brian Daboll relieved of his post and a myriad of injuries ravage the roster, Eluemunor remained a rock-solid, reliable pass protector.

The team rewarded the Texas A&M product with a three-year, $39 million deal early in the offseason—a contract that ensures he will be around to help Jaxson Dart stay upright as the second-year quarterback seeks to make a much-anticipated leap to superstardom.

Eluemunor may not ever get Pro Bowl recognition or become a household name, but he's a huge piece of the puzzle for a Giants team that will rely on his steady presence to get back into the playoffs.

C Hjalte Froholdt, Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Offensive linemen in general rarely get the credit they deserve, but centers especially stand out for their lack of recognition. That's why most NFL fans probably aren't aware of Hjalte Froholdt, even though the Arizona Cardinals center rates as one of the very best at his position right now.

While Froholdt was taken in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, he bounced around the league and only saw sporadic action early in his career. He worked his way into the starting lineup during a stint with the Cleveland Browns before emerging as a cornerstone in the offensive trenches for Arizona.

The 29-year-old has raised his game significantly during the last three seasons, starting all 51 games since arriving in Arizona and playing nearly every snap in those contests. Although the Cardinals haven't won many games during his tenure, the offensive lineman has been far from the problem.

Pro Football Focus rated Froholdt as a top-10 center following his first two seasons in Arizona and issued a respectable 69.4 grade for his 2025 efforts. PFF ranked him in the top 10 among pass-blockers at the center position last year, noting that he only allowed one sack on the season—an impressive feat given he played the most pass-blocking snaps in the league.

Froholdt figures to be instrumental in Arizona's rebuilding efforts under new head coach Mike LaFleur. Whether he's protecting incumbent veteran Jacoby Brissett or third-round rookie Carson Beck, the center will be critical for a team looking to turn a corner following four consecutive losing seasons.

TE Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

Photo by Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini

Juwan Johnson may not be part of the elite fraternity of superstar tight ends dominating the NFL right now, but he deserves far more respect than he's been getting.

The New Orleans Saints tight end has grinded his way up the ranks after entering the league as an undrafted free agent. He rarely saw the field on offense during his first two years in the league and was mostly relegated to special teams work, but his grit and determination paid off when he became the club's starting tight end in 2022.

Johnson has been a steady presence within New Orleans' offense over the past four seasons and even took another unexpected leap during his age-29 campaign last year.

The Oregon product made some small waves during a 42-catch, 508-yard, seven-touchdown season in 2022, but the small market, lack of consistency and infrequent winning in the Big Easy ultimately held him back from becoming a known entity in the NFL.

That should change after the 77/889/3 line he posted last season, one that only hints at the potential he and the rest of this up-and-coming Saints offense possess.

With Tyler Shough cementing his status as New Orleans' QB1 with a better-than-expected rookie year, Johnson stands to benefit heavily based on his status as the signal-caller's preferred safety valve and longtime friend.

Shough looked for his top tight end—one he roomed with during their shared tenure at Oregon—more than any other player outside of star wideout Chris Olave, with Johnson's 102 targets ranking well ahead of the rest of the field.

While the Saints did reinforce Shough's weaponry this offseason—most notably adding first-round pick Jordyn Tyson to the mix—Johnson should remain a focal point in head coach Kellen Moore's system.

Johnson's longstanding rapport with Shough gives him an advantage that could help him surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career.

Edge Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Dallas Turner entered the league with a good amount of fanfare following the Minnesota Vikings' decision to trade up and land him at No. 17 overall two years ago, but a poor rookie season cooled the hype surrounding the Alabama edge-rusher.

However, his status will improve immensely in 2026 if he picks up where he left off at the end of last season.

Turner struggled to grasp the defensive coordinator Brian Flores' system as a rookie and was relegated to a meager 28 percent snap share. After mustering 20 tackles and three sacks across 16 games, he narrowly avoided the dreaded draft bust label but certainly didn't do enough to warrant the costs of acquiring him.

That changed in 2025 when the 23-year-old finally figured things out and dialed in. He received a big bump in playing time (logging a 66 percent snap share on the year) while appearing in all 17 games and starting 10.

He finished the campaign with 66 tackles, eight sacks and four forced fumbles—a sizable jump in production for the youngster, one that went relatively unnoticed due to the bulk of his sack production occurring in the back half of Minnesota's dismal campaign.

Turner racked up 6.5 of his sacks between Weeks 11-18, including two in the season finale. He's now primed to build on that impressive finish by stepping into a more prominent role following the departure of Jonathan Greenard—the Pro Bowl edge-rusher who played 74 percent of Minnesota's defensive snaps last year.

If Turner seizes that opportunity and continues his current trajectory, he'll have few issues shedding the underrated tag and becoming a renowned Pro Bowler.