NFL's Most Underrated: 32 teams, 32 players who don't get their due

[Fin Fan in Cali]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...ed-32-teams-32-players-who-dont-get-their-due

[h=2]Miami Dolphins[/h]Defensive end Olivier Vernon: The fourth-year end has 30 starts and 18 total sacks the past two seasons. At the age of 24, heading into a contract year, expect him to be a valuable commodity on the open market next season if he gets there. Vernon has great speed off the edge and playing on a line with Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh, he should see a lot of single blocking, which means the sack numbers will go up.

 

[Travis34]

Not sure I agree about that one. Vernon is okay, but nothing special imo. He needs to more consistently beat his man. With Suh and Wake here, he should have plenty of opportunity to do that, with only Wake last year, he didn't do too much as we would have hoped. The question is, what caused such a high number of sacks the year before?

Most underrated though.... maybe Jelani Jenkins? Most people know Landry is very legit and (some) people are starting to give Tannehill respect.

 

[Fin Thirteen]

Reshad Jones is the only one I can think of. Certainly not OV. He gets a lot of credit despite being pretty inconsistent.

 

[roy_miami]

Reshad Jones is the only one I can think of. Certainly not OV. He gets a lot of credit despite being pretty inconsistent.

I agree, Vernon got a ton of respect by the pundits last season as a member of a feared edge duo. I like Vernon, he's solid but I don't think he's underrated. I predict McCain will overshadow him this season as an edge rusher. I think Shelby is a much more underrated member of our d-line rotation.

 

[MRojas4]

When all the attention and double teams get put on Wake, Vernon gets a chance to shine.

Not saying Vernon is not a solid player, just don't think he is as good as many talk about.

Althought again, I do expect him to have a MONSTER year will every O-line shift and TE chip block going to the side of Suh and Wake.

Vernon numbers will explode this year and he will command a fairly big contract and someone will pay him. I think he will be a solid 4-3 DE but nothing special.

 

[jlfin]

Disagree with most of the posters. He's not elite, but he's way above average. Some of you act as if his sacks came as a result of being pushed into the QB.
He also plays against the best Olineman every week (LT).
Many LTs, including Branden Albert have given him high praise. Last yr in TC he whipped Albert quite a bit.

 

[DiepatriotsDie]

We agree, jlfin, on the "above average" designation. And I see him on the verge of having his best season, for better or worse, in a contract year.

 

[Fin Thirteen]

Disagree with most of the posters. He's not elite, but he's way above average. Some of you act as if his sacks came as a result of being pushed into the QB.
He also plays against the best Olineman every week (LT).
Many LTs, including Branden Albert have given him high praise. Last yr in TC he whipped Albert quite a bit.

Hey, I'm not claiming he's a chump by any means. but imo he already gets a lot of credit and attention from fans and media. I think he gets rated pretty much where he is - a very promising edge rusher and decent run defender who can be streaky, but who has a high motor and makes plays. I just don't believe he's under-rated.

Reshad Jones' media profile, on the other hand, is non-existent by comparison.

 

[Gonzo]

Disagree with most of the posters. He's not elite, but he's way above average. Some of you act as if his sacks came as a result of being pushed into the QB.
He also plays against the best Olineman every week (LT).
Many LTs, including Branden Albert have given him high praise. Last yr in TC he whipped Albert quite a bit.

Way above average? I don't know about that. He's not bad, but I have a tough time putting him above average. He'll have no excuses this year with both Wake and Suh. If all we get is a slight improvement, I hope we're not the ones to vastly overpay.

 

[roy_miami]

[video=youtube;mCYFbHGh3MU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCYFbHGh3MU[/video]

Two things stand out to me:

1) Vernon has a good variety of pass rush moves and got sacks both to the inside and outside. Nice spin move too.
2) That highlight video is way too short, especially considering each highlight was shown from several angles.

 

[Ruckus45]

I'm not the biggest fan of people getting excited that his sack totals will go up because of single blocking. Elite, even very good,
Pass rushers know how to beat the double team when it matters. I think OV is good, has good upside, but until he can beat double teams more consistantly Id say he is rated exactly where he belongs.

For underrated Id go with Jenkins. I think that kid is better than most think and will have another up year. His coverage is above average, tackling too, but most say he is just average.

 

[hoops]

Nah

 

[jimthefin]

Let's all hope he has the kind of year where someone ELSE overpays him in free agency.

That would be a win/win.

The Fins get a very productive year out of him and he gets his $$$$.

He would not be that hard to replace.

 

[mrhankey81701]

Vernon has always struck me as a guy who got the majority of his production based off of the players around him. Whenever he got a sack it always seemed like it wasn't because of his elite pass rushing ability, but because either Cam Wake or the interior pass rush pushed the QB to him. I'm not saying he's a bad player, he's a solid all around DE, but he isn't underrated in my opinion. The most underrated player on the entire roster is probably Jelani Jenkins, he gets a lot of love locally, but no one mentions him nationally. He is the best all around linebacker on the roster, he emerged as a dominant 3 down player last year after the injuries to Ellerbe. Playing behind Suh and Wake this year I believe he will have a break out year, and I believe he will make the Pro Bowl.

 

[Dr. Phin]

The year before he was better than last year. I think everyone expected him to take the next step...he simply didn't. I think part of that has to do with the coaches playing that idiot Jordan in Vernon's place quite a bit.