Power-Ranking the Best NFL Players Who Get the Least Glory
Not including midseason additions, there are at least 1,856 potentially active players to be contracted to NFL teams each year. Each team has 52 players on its active roster and can carry five players on its practice squad as well as any free agents they may sign.
Of these players, at least 48 are awarded Pro Bowl status each year, while even less players receive the coveted All-Pro acclaim.
Most of the players on this list have never been to a Pro Bowl or even been considered to be All-Pro, but they have all been playing to that level.
9. Eugene Monroe
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The NFL has become a league full of pass first offenses looking for the best pass blocking left tackles to protect their field general passers. For that very reason, one of the best run blocking players in the league is getting no glory.
The Jacksonville Jaguars offense begins and ends with the production that they get from Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is celebrated as one of the best running backs in the league, but his offensive line is given little credit.
The team has two top quality tackles bookending a line that is one of the best run blocking units in the league. The standout player from that line is former first round pick Eugene Monroe, while Eben Britton and Brad Meester also deserve a lot of credit for their impact.
Guys like Joe Thomas, Jake Long and Ryan Clady receive all the credit for their great pass blocking at the professional level but Monroe shouldn't be overlooked to the degree that he is. He is a good pass blocking tackle but a great run blocking lineman.
In another era, Monroe would be considered one of the best young tackles in the league.
8. Brandon Pettigrew
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Lost in what is a great era for tight end talent is a second year player in Detroit. Brandon Pettigrew is too inexperienced to challenge Jason Witten, Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez as the best tight end in the league but he doesn't get enough credit for his performances last season.
After suffering a serious knee injury towards the end of his rookie season, Pettigrew didn't miss a beat in his second season. It took him only until week two to show off his talent, as he caught seven passes for a season high 108 yards. Returning from a knee injury as serious as a torn ACL isn't always as simple as Wes Welker makes it look.
Pettigrew's huge frame put's a lot of strain on his knees, yet he still returned this year with his athleticism in tact. Pettigrew is a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses. As a result, he ranked 21st overall in receptions for the season and third overall among tight ends. He was also seventh among tight ends in receiving yards.
Considering he did all this predominantly without his starting quarterback only makes it an even more impressive feat.
Pettigrew's performances after his injury deserved a lot more praise than they deserved, but until he plays for a winning team, he will not receive it.
7. Tamba Hali
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Tamba Hali was ranked second in sacks in the whole of the NFL last season. This was the biggest reason for his Pro Bowl selection. It was a deserved selection, but it doesn't really reflect the magnitude of his achievements.
Hali was the only pass rushing threat that the Chiefs had last season. He more often than not faced double teams from the opposition yet still found his way to the quarterback 15 times (14.5 sacks).
Hali was only one sack behind DeMarcus Ware, who is considered to be an elite linebacker simply because of his pass rushing ability. Ware doesn't actually do much else outside of rushing the passer, and while he has earned his reputation by doing this over many years, it still seems as if Hali isn't receiving the praise that he should.
If Justin Houston can be the pass rushing threat on the opposite side of the Chiefs' defense next season, Hali could hit over 20 sacks. He is that good of a blitzer. In fact outside of Ware, he is probably the best pure blitzer in the whole league.
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6. Danny Amendola
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Wes Welker is the best slot receiver in the league, isn't he? Maybe not.
Danny Amendola is an amazing talent for the St. Louis Rams. The Rams' irrelevance over the past few seasons has been erased by the arrival of Sam Bradford, but Amendola's contribution to the Rams' revival shouldn't be overlooked.
Amendola was the team's leading receiver last year with 689 yards. However, what was startling was the fact that he amassed 85 receptions without much help. Amendola's talents are best used when there is other receivers that can force the opposing secondary to stay deep. With the loss of Donnie Avery before last season, the Rams didn't have anyone that could do that.
The loss of Avery, and subsequent loss of his replacement Mark Clayton, forced the Rams to lean on Amendola in clutch situations and he rarely let the team down. Amendola is exactly the type of player that Wes Welker was during his best years in the league. He has soft hands with incredible shiftiness to lose defenders when running routes.
He also carries an explosion that is somewhat surprising, because he doesn't look the quickest. Amendola had seven punt returns for more than 20 yards during last season.
He is an all purpose player that will come to prominence with the Rams new offense next season, as Josh McDaniels has proven before that he can get the best out of a talented slot receiver (see Wes Welker 2007).
5. Jermon Bushrod
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Hands up if you know which number Jermon Bushrod is of the Saints pictured.
That's what I thought.
Unless you are a Saints fan, I'd be surprised if you knew. I didn't.
What I do know, however, is that Jermon Bushrod is an outstanding football player who has done something that was simply incredible. Two years ago, Bushrod wasn't even a starter in the league. After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft, he appeared in three games during his first two seasons.
Despite a less than illustrious career at Towson University in college football, Bushrod is now a Super Bowl champion who played a huge part of his team's winning season.
When Jamaal Brown went down before the 2009 season with a hip and hernia injury, Bushrod was thrust into the fires of the professional game. He excelled as the blindside protector for Drew Brees in place of Brown and has remained the starter ever since excluding one missed game because of an ankle injury.
Bushrod is rarely mentioned as an elite tackle in the NFL, but I can guarantee you he will be paid like one whenever the lockout comes to a close, whether it be by the Saints or another NFL team.
By the way, he's number 74.
4. Brandon Flowers
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Antoine Winfield, DeAngelo Hall, Cortland Finnegan, Stanford Routt and Antonio Cromartie. What do all of these players have in common? They all received more votes on ESPN's list of the top cornerbacks in the NFL than Brandon Flowers. Not one of those players is actually better than Flowers however.
Predictably AFC West blogger Kevin Seifert gave Flowers credit, while Mike Sando, who is easily the most knowledgeable blogger on ESPN, also voted for him. As the Chiefs grow in stature, more and more NFL fans will come to realize just how talented he is and not simply confuse him with the other Brandon that starts at corner for the Chiefs.
The 25-year-old has been a starter for the Chiefs since his rookie season three years ago. He quickly established himself as the best cover guy on the team and already has defenses throwing away from his side of the field. Expect Flowers to receive more media attention once Eric Berry establishes himself and if the Chiefs can generate a pass rush.
He is easily a better player than Winfield, Hall, Routt and Finnegan, while his better tackling and the fact he faces the opposition's best receiver each week makes him a better player than Cromartie.
Flowers is one of the best cornerbacks in the league, yet he doesn't receive the credit for his work. Maybe if he played in New England or Green Bay, he would have already shot to stardom, as he is arguably a better player than both Tramon Williams and Devin McCourty (both of whom also beat him on ESPN's list).
He has no Pro Bowls or All Pro selections, he's unlikely to ever receive an all pro ballot with Nnamdi Asomugha and Darelle Revis ahead of him, but he is already a pro bowl talent.
3. Haloti Ngata
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Haloti Ngata has received some all pro recognition. He was first choice last season and second choice the two previous seasons. However, the balance of talent to glory is way off.
Ngata should have been a consensus first choice All-Pro for every single season since his sophomore season. He is the most dominant lineman in the league who can blow up the running game as well as get to the quarterback even while double teamed.
The most startling thing about Ngata is his versatility and stamina. He rarely comes out of the lineup while moving around from defensive end to nose tackle depending on the situation. His athleticism is unmatched throughout the whole league, as the things he can do at his size appear to defy physics.
Ngata is potentially the best defensive player...scratch that....Ngata is potentially the best player in the league. Without him, Ray Lewis would probably not still be playing in the NFL. Ngata makes his teammates look immaculately better, which is the measure of a great player.
He is so talented and physically imposing that not one offensive lineman in the whole league can handle him one on one on a consistent basis.
More than a Darelle Revis or Troy Polamalu, Ngata is the scariest defender to watch line up on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage.
2. Josh Sitton
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Naturally the first name that comes to mind when you think of the Green Bay Packers's roster is Aaron Rodgers. Second is probably Charles Woodson, then Clay Matthews or BJ Raji or Jermichael Finley....well you get the idea. It probably takes a long time before the name Josh Sitton comes to mind.
Sitton is one of the best, if not the best, guards in the whole league. He is more than adept at run blocking and pass blocking and was an integral, if overlooked for the most part, piece of their championship side.
In a league where fans are beginning to recognize the names of most elite left tackles for the first time, it will probably be a long time before a guard such as Sitton gets his due praise.
Nonetheless, Sitton will continue to play at an all-pro level despite not receiving the actual recognition for doing so. Sitton will at least make the Pro Bowl sooner rather than later, as he only just missed out last year after he led the fan's voting. Then again, who cares about the Pro Bowl; it's based more on reputation than anything else anyway.
1. Aaron Smith
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There is a reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers carried a 35-year-old defensive end with a torn left tricep on the roster for the whole of last season. Aaron Smith was held on the team's roster with the hope that he could return for the Super Bowl.
Smith's value was so high that Mike Tomlin was willing to cut Thaddeus Gibson, who had impressed during his limited time, and eventually lose the promising rookie for the slim chance Smith would return.
Probably one out of every 200 NFL fans nationwide will know who Smith is, but every single die hard Steelers fan will know his name. Aaron Smith is probably one of the greatest ever 3-4 defensive ends to play in the NFL. Despite playing in the league for 12 years, he has only ever made it to one Pro Bowl. Somehow Sports Illustrated stood up and took notice however as Smith was selected to their 2000's All Decade team.
Smith was described as the "upset pick of the team." It came as no upset to Steelers defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau who believes Smith "can't be blocked." It's rare that I disagree with Dick LeBeau and I definitely don't here. Smith is just as unblockable as Julius Peppers—yes Julius Peppers—but he uses his strengths to shut down the running game and man double teams allowing the Steelers' outside backers to light up the stat sheets.
Smith still has 44 sacks in his career. Smith won't care, however. His team first attitude is a must for the position he plays, and he is beloved in his locker room for very good reason after Smith played a game against the New York Giants in 2008 just as his son had been diagnosed with cancer.
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