Underrated Players Who Could Dominate the NFL Postseason

NFL legends are made in the playoffs. Larger stakes, larger stage, larger audience. A lot of great football players become special in January, and a lot of relatively unknown players become known. 

On the brink of the 2017 postseason, let's take a look at under-the-radar members on playoff-caliber teams who could make names for themselves with strong yet realistic January (and/or February) performances. 

We all know to watch the Rob Gronkowskis and Antonio Browns of the football world, but here are more than a dozen less touted but talented players to keep an eye on. 

Jacksonville Jaguars WR Keelan Cole

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With Allen Robinson done for the year with a torn ACL, Allen Hurns out with an ankle injury and Marqise Lee sidelined, the Jacksonville Jaguars unleashed undrafted rookie wide receiver Keelan Cole on the Houston Texans in Week 15. All the Kentucky Wesleyan product did was catch seven passes on nine targets for 186 yards and a touchdown in a blowout 45-7 victory at EverBank Field. 

But Cole was already flashing before he had his big breakout opportunity. In the previous two weeks, he caught all six of the passes thrown his way for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he's now scored in three consecutive games. 

If Lee and/or Hurns return, Cole's role could be limited. But it's apparent that if quarterback Blake Bortles doesn't have all of his usual options at his disposal, Cole is the top option. And it wouldn't be surprising if he lit up an opponent or two in January. 

Jaguars WR Dede Westbrook

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Bortles is fortunate to have a wide variety of receivers not named Robinson, Hurns or Lee, and the highest-profile peripheral weapon is rookie fourth-round pick Dede Westbrook. 

The speedy Oklahoma product (4.34 40-yard dash) caught 17 passes on 27 targets for 200 yards in a three-game span between Week 12 and Week 14, which suggests he could have a chance to take off in the games to come. 

The 24-year-old caught 13 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason before suffering a core-muscle injury prior to the start of the regular season, but he's been productive in five games since making his debut against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 19. 

Westbrook has the ability to make game-changing plays in the postseason, and the opportunity might be there in the Jags receiving corps.

New England Patriots WR Kenny Britt

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You just never know who's going to strike for the New England Patriots. And with Julian Edelman down with a torn ACL and Chris Hogan coming off a shoulder injury, it wouldn't surprise anybody if Britt were to suddenly become one of quarterback Tom Brady's favorite targets in the postseason. 

Britt went over the 1,000-yard mark on a bad Los Angeles Rams team last season, but he struggled after signing a lucrative four-year contract with the Cleveland Browns in March.

That's not a good sign; however, the Pats often seem to bring out the best in talented but unfulfilled players. They signed the 2009 first-round pick after the Browns released him Dec. 8, and Britt caught the first pass thrown his way for a seven-yard gain against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Britt has the ability to deliver like a No. 1 receiver. If the Patriots decide to use him that way in January, he could do a lot of damage. 

Buffalo Bills TE Charles Clay

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If the Buffalo Bills bust out of a legendary playoff drought and make the postseason for the first time this century, a team that has been hit hard by injuries in the passing game will likely lean heavily on tight end Charles Clay. 

The 28-year-old has been around seven seasons and has yet to hit the 800-yard mark, and he's made it through just one full season over the course of his career. But Clay consistently pulls in close to 70 percent of the passes thrown his way, and he's at 69.6 percent this season after a strong five-catch, 68-yard performance in a 24-16 Week 15 victory over the Miami Dolphins at New Era Field. 

If the Bills can sneak in and quarterback Tyrod Taylor can learn to lean on Clay as a safety valve the way he did when the Tulsa product caught five passes for 112 yards in a Week 4 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Clay could become an X-factor in January. 

Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry

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Like the Bills, the Tennessee Titans are merely trying to survive in order to participate in the 2017 playoffs. But if the Titans do manage to extend their season beyond Dec. 31, they'd be smart to rely heavily on second-year running back Derrick Henry. 

The 2016 second-round pick isn't the top dog in a Titans backfield that continues to highlight veteran DeMarco Murray. But Henry is tied for sixth among qualified backs with 4.8 yards per carry, and he and Leonard Fournette of the Jaguars are the only two players in football with multiple 70-plus-yard touchdown runs this season. 

The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner led the nation with 2,219 rushing yards while scoring 28 touchdowns that season at Alabama. He's ready to break out, and it's possible the Titans will finally decide to ride him when the stakes are highest in January. 

Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp

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Quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley are the centerpieces of the Rams' high-powered offense, and veteran wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods get the lion's share of the public attention in that receiving corps. But rookie third-round pick Cooper Kupp leads the team in targets (88), catches (58) and receiving yards (804), and he's gained steam over the course of his 2017 campaign. 

In the last five weeks, the 24-year-old Eastern Washington product has caught 76.5 percent of passes thrown his way for 387 yards. 

He's quickly become one of the league's most reliable and productive slot receivers. And with two 115-plus-yard performances in the last four weeks, he has proved that he's capable of dominating within an offense that could explode in the postseason. 

Philadelphia Eagles RB Corey Clement

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The Philadelphia Eagles backfield is crowded, but even with LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi hogging carries, you don't want to overlook undrafted rookie Corey Clement. 

The Wisconsin product continues to get steady work despite the midseason addition of Ajayi, and he has more touchdowns (six) than Blount and Ajayi combined (four). 

In a four-game span between late October and late November, Clement averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 32 attempts and scored four touchdowns from scrimmage. His workload has decreased a tad in December, but Eagles head coach Doug Pederson should be going out of his way to utilize the physically marvelous and fresh-legged 23-year-old in January. 

He has the ability to unexpectedly take over a game, and that's a possibility between now and the first Sunday in February. 

Minnesota Vikings RB Jerick McKinnon

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The Minnesota Vikings had the worst running game in football last season, and 2014 third-round pick Jerick McKinnon still has some of that stink on him. The Georgia Southern product averaged just 3.4 yards per carry on over 150 attempts and had two rushes of 15-plus yards all year. 

But McKinnon has rebounded in his fourth professional campaign.

His 3.7 yards-per-attempt average could still be better, but the 25-year-old has four 15-plus-yard runs on fewer attempts than last year, and he's caught 50 passes for 412 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

McKinnon might not get as much work as 27-year-old veteran Latavius Murray, but he's more versatile and explosive. There's a chance he'll play a peripheral role for the Vikings in January, but he also could change a game with one play. 

New Orleans Saints WR Ted Ginn

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It's rare for an 11-year NFL veteran to be considered underrated, but as he prepares to make a playoff appearance with a fifth different team, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. is flying under the radar.

Among 117 players who have been targeted at least 50 times this season, Ginn is the only one who has caught more than 75 percent of the passes thrown his way for an average of 14 or more yards per reception. In other words, he's a home run hitter who also manages to have a high batting average. 

Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram get most of the attention in that dangerous Saints offense, but that dynamic might only make it easier for Ginn to sneak up and become a game-changer in January. 

Atlanta Falcons WR Taylor Gabriel

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If the Atlanta Falcons manage to get back to the NFL playoffs this year, they'll obviously be looking for top receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu and top backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman to stand out on offense. 

But the Falcons have two other offensive weapons who have quietly performed well in smaller roles this season.

The first is No. 3 receiver Taylor Gabriel, who has lightning speed (4.40 40-yard dash) but has also caught roughly 70 percent of the passes thrown his way over the past two seasons, scoring seven touchdowns in the process. Six of those scores came in 2016, and Gabriel hasn't been as active as part of coordinator Steve Sarkisian's offense in 2017. But the 26-year-old still has the ability to change a game with one explosive play. 

Atlanta Falcons TE Austin Hooper

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The other Falcon to watch if the team remains alive in the new year is tight end Austin Hooper, who has built on a quality rookie season with 43 catches on 58 targets for 473 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore in 2017. 

The 23-year-old Stanford product flashed early—he had 128 yards on two catches in the season opener—and all three of his touchdowns came in the first 10 weeks of the season. But a quiet five-week stretch since mid-November could keep Hooper under the radar just enough for him to sneak up and hijack a game in January. 

Like Gabriel, he's the type of player who can go unnoticed for weeks before suddenly serving as nightmare fuel for an opposing defense. 

Jacksonville Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue

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The Jaguars defense has been dominant all season long, and a lot of the credit for that has gone to big-money free-agent acquisitions Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and A.J. Bouye. But that's not fair to unheralded second-year defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. 

The 22-year-old third-round pick out of Maryland has yet to become a household name, but that could change if he can perform in the playoffs the way he has on practically a weekly basis during the first two seasons of his pro career. 

As a rookie in 2016, Ngakoue was one of eight players with both eight-plus sacks and four-plus forced fumbles, and he's the only player with 10-plus sacks and five-plus forced fumbles this season. And prior to Week 15, Pro Football Focus had him tied for fifth (alongside Campbell) in pass-rushing productivity among 4-3 ends. 

That was before he was yet again a force on the edge against the Texans. There's no reason to expect that to change in the new year.    

Philadelphia Eagles DE Brandon Graham

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As a first-round pick with eight pro seasons under his belt, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is a big enough name. But his role was limited in his first five seasons, low sack totals the next two years curbed his impact and his advanced statistics have always been better than his traditional numbers. 

That's changed this season. The 29-year-old has broken out with a career-high 9.5 sacks to go along with two forced fumbles, two passes defensed and 43 combined tackles in 14 starts. 

It still seems as though superstar defensive tackle Fletcher Cox gets a heck of a lot more adoration from those praising Philadelphia's oft-dominant defense, but the reality is Graham has a much larger opportunity to change the course of a playoff game with an impact play or two. 

Minnesota Vikings DE Danielle Hunter

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As a sophomore last season, Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter exploded with 12.5 sacks despite his situational role. He didn't start a game that season, but the numbers of the 2015 third-round pick indicated a bright future awaited.

As an every-week starter in 2017, Hunter has seen his sack rate decline. But four of his seven sacks have come in his last six outings following a slow start, and those underwhelming totals could only serve to keep the 23-year-old under the radar within a loaded defense. 

When the Vikes D is on the field in January, all eyes will typically be on sack artist Everson Griffen, if not on Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith or Anthony Barr. That could allow Hunter to do some damage rushing the passer opposite Griffen. 

Los Angeles Rams KR Pharoh Cooper

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If one special teamer is going to take over a playoff game, it's probably Los Angeles Rams return specialist Pharoh Cooper. 

The second-year fourth-round pick out of South Carolina ranks second in the league with a 13.4-yard punt-return average and second with a 28.2-yard kick-return average. He's the only qualified player averaging more than 12 yards per punt return and more than 24 yards per kick return.

Cooper has scored once, but he also had a 66-yard kick return against the Dallas Cowboys, a 57-yard punt return that was negated by a holding penalty against the New York Giants and three separate punt returns of 25 yards or more Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. 

It's no wonder the 22-year-old is headed to his first Pro Bowl.