Every year there always seems to be a handful of NFL players that fans, the media, and their own team's front desks hold in a higher regard than what they're probably worth. So here is your favorite NFL team's most overrated player heading into the 2024 season:
Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen
Similarly to Joe Burrow, Josh Allen is a good quarterback but doesn't belong in the same category as QBs like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, or Peyton Manning. Allen's lack of playoff success, especially against the Chiefs, is well-documented. And while he makes his fair share of wow plays, Allen also takes too many risks, throws too many interceptions, and generally tries to do too much with the football. But it's unlikely Josh Allen will ever win a Super Bowl because he doesn't have a coach like Bill Belichick or Andy Reid that helps him minimize those mistakes and makes sure he doesn't try to play heroball.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow is one of those NFL players who went from underrated to overrated in the blink of an eye. Don't get me wrong, Joe Burrow is a good quarterback, but let's stop the comparisons to Tom Brady. While Burrow has put up elite numbers in the regular season, he hasn't risen to the occasion in high-pressure playoff situations, even though the media talks about him as if he's won a Super Bowl. Joe Burrow's proneness to injury is also well-documented, as multiple Bengals' seasons have been wasted due to his season-ending injuries. Burrow still has plenty of time to prove he belongs in the upper echelon of quarterbacks, but he needs to stay healthy and not let the overhype get to his head.
Houston Texans: Laremy Tunsil
Laremy Tunsil has been considered an elite offensive lineman during the past few seasons, but the stats simply don't back it up. In 2023, Tunsil allowed five sacks on 877 offensive snaps, and most of his other seasons have been pretty similar. The overrated tackle only received an 80+ PFF grade once in his career, which was in 2022. Laremy Tunsil is a solid offensive tackle but doesn't belong in the top-tier category of O-lineman that consists of Penei Sewell and Trent Williams.
Miami Dolphins: Mike McDaniel
I know the title says, "Most overrated NFL players", and Mike McDaniel is a head coach, but exceptions must be made for a coach this overvalued.
Mike McDaniel is often dubbed as an "offensive genius", despite his abysmal 4-12 record against teams with winning records. When the Dolphins are stomping on easy teams early in the season, it's easy to forget their coach's lack of playoff success, but McDaniel's 0-2 record in the postseason becomes apparent every January.
And the only team above .500 McDaniel did beat in 2023, was the Cowboys, who were frauds as well, getting creamed by the seventh-seeded Packers in the wild-card round. So we'll need to see some actual winning against competitive teams in 2024 to take Mike McDaniel and his Dolphins seriously.
Dallas Cowboys: DaRon Bland
DaRon Bland received a massive amount of attention and praise for his 9 interceptions and record-breaking 5 pick sixes in 2023. But there is more to the cornerback position than just sticky hands and speed. DaRon Bland is merely an average corner in man coverage, and man coverage is a corner's primary duty. The best corners in the league don't get targeted an absurd 89 times, and don't allow 84 receptions. Bland's extraordinary interception numbers will undoubtedly decline in 2024, as teams will target the all-pro corner less, and no cornerback who is mediocre in-man coverage has ever sustained such statistics.
Green Bay Packers: Christian Watson
It's definitely possible that Christian Watson will become one of the NFL's elite receivers, but for now, I wouldn't buy into the hype. After starting his NFL career with an embarrassing dropped pass, Watson broke out with over 500 yards and seven touchdowns during the second half of the 2022 season. There were massive amounts of hype for the young Green Bay receiver heading into 2023, but with more stability in the Packers' offense, came less consistency in Watson's play. The constant injury bug held Watson to just ten games in 2023, but he added little to no value to his team when on the field. And yet the hype train for Christian Watson has continued chugging along.
Watson can occasionally make enormous plays, but even during his dominant stretch in 2022, he lacked consistency. He's never been Jordan Love's reliable first read that the Packers' front office and fans had envisioned.
Los Angeles Chargers: Joey Bosa
It's about time we stop putting Joey Bosa into the conversation of elite pass rushers. Even during Bosa's few healthy seasons, he's never ranked top five in sacks. But like the rest of his Chargers' team, he can't stay healthy, as half of his seasons were substantially cut short due to injury. However, that didn't stop fans from voting Bosa to the Pro Bowl in 2019 despite missing four games due to multiple concussions and only having 7.5 sacks to his name. Because of his inability to stay on the field for consecutive seasons, Joey Bosa hasn't actually contributed much to his always-underperforming Chargers team.
Cleveland Browns: Denzel Ward
Denzel Ward suffers from DaRon Bland syndrome: he's got sticky hands and can make electric plays, but he isn't the kind of corner that you'd trust to cover an opposing team's no.1 wideout. In fact, Ward has struggled to contain top-tier receivers his entire career. Denzel Ward consistently records 2-3 interceptions each season but fails to rank in the top 15 in passes defended, solo tackles among cornerbacks, and receptions allowed. Denzel Ward can prove to be an asset to Cleveland's defense at times, but his production doesn't scream, "NFL's highest-paid corner" even though his contract would beg to differ.
Pittsburgh Steelers: George Pickens
If the NFL wasn't so lax about sticky gloves, George Pickens would be out of the league. Because occasionally making seemingly inhuman catches is really all the young Steelers' receiver is known for. Pickens's 1,140 yards, five touchdowns, and 63 receptions in 2023 aren't bad statistics, but don't exactly scream elite receiver. Though Pickens's inconsistency is the primary reason why he's overrated, as over 60% of his receiving yards in 2023 came in just five games. And this also makes Pickens a notoriously annoying player in fantasy, because you have no idea whether he'll score 1 point or 30 points in any given week.
New Orleans Saints: Chase Young
Ever since winning defensive rookie of the year honors in 2020, Chase Young was the talk of the town in Washington, then in San Francisco- and now New Orleans. Little did we know that 2020 would be Chase Young's ceiling, rather than his floor. The former Commanders pass rusher had only had one healthy season since 2020, in which he recorded numbers similar to that of his rookie season. And yet Young has been hyped to the Moon and back despite his 7.5 sacks when occasionally healthy is nowhere near what qualifies as a top-tier defensive end, but fans and the media treat him as such.
Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts has been overrated ever since the 2020 draft, where the Falcons made a highly questionable decision by taking a tight end 6th overall. And for being the highest-picked tight end in NFL draft history, Pitts has underperformed for most of his career. After making the Pro Bowl in year one, Pitts's production fell off a cliff, taking two seasons to amass the amount of receiving yards he had accumulated in his rookie year.
Carolina Panthers: Adam Thielen
It's difficult to find an overrated player on one of the NFL's worst teams, so Adam Thielen is the best I could do. The 33-year-old wideout is clearly past his prime, but Thielen is talked about as if he's a tremendous game-changer. The only reason Thielen recorded over 1,000 yards in 2023 was because Bryce Young had literally no one else to give the ball to. But besides 2023, Thielen hasn't recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in a season since 2018, and he just isn't able to get the same amount of separation as he used to. But the media still hasn't caught up to that yet.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield is an average quarterback, and it's time we accept that. But when Mayfield recorded slightly above-average numbers in 2023, he once again, became overrated. Mayfield had recently played for an inept Panthers team and a Cooper Kupp-less Rams team, so of course throwing to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will improve his statistics. And Baker Mayfield would not have made the postseason and maybe not even record a career-best season if he wasn't playing in the NFC South, far and away the NFL's worst division.
But to make matters worse, the Bucs signed Mayfield to a baffling 3-year, $100 million extension this offseason, meaning the Bucs are guaranteed to stay in mediocrity for at least three more years. But when the Baker Mayfield hype inevitably dies down, things will return to normal.
Chicago Bears: Montez Sweat
After a promising rookie season in 2019, Montez Sweat's hype got out of control. But after Sweat never really built on that rookie year, the hype train was still running smoothly. And to make matters worse, the Bears signed the former Commanders pass rusher to a 4-year, $98 million deal in 2023, making Sweat the NFL's 4th-highest-paid defensive end. Montez Sweat even made the Pro Bowl in 2023, despite there being at least ten pass rushers in the NFL better than him.
San Francisco 49ers: Deebo Samuel
After recording 1405 receiving yards and 365 rushing yards in 2021, Deebo Samuel has been able to ride off that performance for the rest of his career, despite his production declining since then. Samuel can make electric plays and is a game-changer to the 49ers offense; there's no doubt about that. But he can only make these electric plays in zone coverage, and Samuel can't get the same separation in man coverage, which lost his team the Super Bowl. Samuel's playstyle is also a problem, as going for a home run ball on every play makes him prone to injury, and his various injuries have derailed multiple 49ers' seasons in the past. Deebo Samuel just can't post the same numbers that he used to, but that hasn't stopped the San Francisco wideout from becoming overrated.
Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray isn't nearly as overrated as he used to be, but his 5-year, $230.5 million contract would beg to differ. During the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Murray posted some solid numbers, but nothing spectacular, and certainly not as spectacular as fans and the media talked about him. But most of Murray's overhype died down after his lone playoff start, where he threw for an atrocious 40.3 passer rating, among other awful statistics. However, the Cardinals' front desk didn't get the memo and decided to pay Murray a whopping $46 million per year; more than Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, and Matthew Stafford.
Indiannapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson
Colts fans, other fans, and talking heads seem to be extremely high on the Colts' young quarterback, Anthony Richardson. Richardson's rookie 2023 season was cut short due to injury, so he only played four games. Richardson recorded fairly average statistics during those four games, but it was too small of a sample size to know if he was the real deal.
However, people are already claiming that Anthony Richardson is the Colts' franchise quarterback, and maybe it's because Colts fans are desperate to find a franchise QB after Drew Luck retired early and the Colts have been in QB purgatory since. But whatever the case may be, we should pump the brakes a bit, and wait patiently until next season to see if Anthony Richardson is actually the Colts' answer at quarterback.
Tennessee Titans: Chig Okonkwo
Much of Chig Okonkwo's overhype has been generated by fantasy football talking heads, but the young tight end's production hasn't lived up to the hype in fantasy or real life. Okonkwo only recorded 528 receiving yards on just 9.8 yards per reception, and his production should only decline with the addition of ex-Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley to Tennessee's offense.
Seattle Seahawks: D.K. Metcalf
D.K. Metcalf made his critics eat their words during his first few seasons, but he's been overhyped since the famous play where he chased down Budda Baker after an interception. Metcalf sits in between the categories of great NFL receivers and elite NFL receivers, and many people bump him up to the same rank as guys like Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill. But once you get past that play he made three years ago, you'll come to realize that D.K. Metcalf belongs in the top 20 ranks of receivers rather than the top 10, and his lack of a 1,300+ yard season definately reflects that.
Philadelphia Eagles: Darius Slay
I'm genuinely confused as to why Darius Slay made the Pro Bowl in 2023 because just two interceptions, 48 tackles, and 14 passes defended wouldn't cut it for any other cornerback. His nickname, "Big Play Slay" is wearing a bit thin as of late, with Slay's production on the decline. After recording a league-leading eight interceptions in 2017, Darius Slay hasn't even scratched half of that total in a single season since, but the rest of the NFL seems to think that it's still 2017. Slay isn't the same player that he was in Detroit, but that didn't stop the Eagles from handing him a 3-year, $42 million extension, making Slay the 10th-highest-paid corner in the league.
Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell
The only person associated with the Lions who's overrated is their head coach, Dan Campbell.
Dan Campbell's hyper-aggressiveness on fourth downs works about half the time, and it's the main reason why the Lions lost the 2023 NFC Championship game. Yet not a soul has ever dared criticize Campbell's questionable strategy or any aspect of his coaching, and whenever Campbell makes a mistake, all the NFL talking heads give him the benefit of the doubt. Please, make this make sense.
Dan Campbell has lost more games than he's won as a head coach, and the amount of competitive teams his team has beaten is a single-digit number. He isn't a bad head coach, but I'm just not sure why people rank Campbell as a top-five head coach just because he promotes a "good culture".
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence isn't a bad quarterback, but being the first overall pick comes with hefty expectations, and the Jags' young quarterback has been merely average through his three NFL seasons. Lawrence's dominant second half of the 2022 season provided some hope that he would develop into the "generational talent" that he had been deemed as. But Lawrence followed that performance up with an embarrassing late-season collapse in the following year that brought him right back down to Earth. 2024 will be make-or-break for the Jaguars QB, but Trevor Lawrence just hasn't lived up to his initial hype in his career thus far.
Kansas City Chiefs: Jawaan Taylor
Jawaan Taylor isn't necessarily overrated but rather overpaid. Taylor never allowed less than five sacks in a single season during his time in Jacksonville, and his PFF rating never topped 65, and yet the Chiefs decided to pay the former Jaguars' right tackle $20 million per year. And Taylor's production has only decreased since he arrived in Kansas City, with Taylor scoring a career-worst 51.6 PFF rating in 2023. Penalties have also been a major issue regarding the overrated offensive lineman, with Jawaan Taylor drawing the most penalties of any NFL player in 2023, with 20.
New York Giants: Darren Waller
After Darren Waller recorded back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, his production did not remain on that level for the rest of his career, but his hype certainly did. Every single year, it's the same story: In August, mainly the fantasy football talking heads hype him as a top-five tight end, just for him to severely underperform, and the poor sucker who drafted Waller early is stuck with a dud in a shallow position group and probably loses their fantasy league. To make matters worse, Waller usually gets injured at some point, and by the end of the season, everyone has forgotten about the former Raiders' tight end.
New York Jets: Allen Lazard
In 2023, we finally saw Allen Lazard catch passes from a quarterback other than a future Hall of Famer, and the truth was exposed. Allen Lazard just isn't the WR1 or even WR2 that fans and the media hype him up to be. When Lazard was traded to the Jets, it was treated like a blockbuster move, but big-name receivers don't record a lowly 311 yards in season. In 2022, Lazard finally got to be the Packers' no.1 wideout thanks to the departure of Davante Adams, and Lazard only recorded 788 yards but was targeted 100 times. Lazard also isn't a very reliable receiver either, as his abysmal 46.9% catch percentage speaks for itself. Allen Lazard is a wide receiver No. 3, and it's about time we treat him like it.
New England Patriots: Ezekiel Elliott
Like most running backs, Zeke Elliott has not aged well. But unlike most running backs, Elliott's hype has not declined much or enough since his glory days in Dallas. During the 2023 season, every time Elliott had a 10+ yard run or scored a touchdown, you'd hear about it. When, in reality, he didn't contribute much to a 4-13 Patriots team as the RB2 behind Rhamondre Stevenson, with just 642 yards to his name. Whichever quarterback the Patriots draft, they'll need better support at the running back position than Zeke Elliott, who will likely show further diminishing production next season.
Las Vegas Raiders: Jakobi Meyers
Jakobi Meyers is the only player on the Raiders that's even remotely overrated, and he only used to be overrated. Once you get over the fact that he was an undrafted free agent who managed to become the Patriots' leading receiver, there isn't much else to Jakobi Meyers's play. Meyers never recorded more than 900 yards in his career, and being the Patriots' WR1 really isn't saying much. But what Jakobi Meyers did say, is he criticized Bill Belichick's coaching style, and then his infamous game-losing lateral to Chandler Jones was the last straw for him in New England, and the end of Meyers's tenure as an overrated player.
Denver Broncos: Courtland Sutton
Fans were a bit rash after Courtland Sutton broke out with over 1,100 receiving yards in 2019, as the 6th-year Broncos pass-catcher hasn't lived up to that production throughout the rest of his career. Sutton isn't the number one receiver that many hype him up to be, and his limited route tree and low catch percentage are holding him back. His playstyle of having one or two long passes that make up most of his yardage each game doesn't aid most quarterbacks. But without Jerry Jeudy to open up more deep passing lanes, and the quarterback situation getting worse in Denver, it's unlikely Sutton will ever record over 850 yards in a single season in the future.
Washington Commanders: Jahan Dotson
The closest player to being overrated on the Commanders is Jahan Dotson, who used to be overrated, and for some reason, no one has talked about him this season. But in 2022, Jahan Dotson received (no pun intended) an unreasonable amount of praise and attention for being the Commanders' WR2 and recording just 523 yards in his rookie season. But in 2023, his statistics have been nearly identical to last season, and the young wideout has fallen out of favor with the press. And frankly, it's probably better that way.
Minnesota Vikings: Aaron Jones
Aaron Jones seems to be in the twilight of his career, but the hype train has only stopped to pick up more passengers. Jones's inconsistent and injury-riddled 2023 season showed us that his best days are behind him, and Jones isn't the RB1 that he used to be. We'll have to see if Aaron Jones displays the same level of production that he did a few seasons ago, with him now being the lead back in Minnesota.
One catch. One singular catch Odell Beckham Jr. made a decade ago somehow makes him an elite receiver. Beckham hasn't recorded a 1,000+ yard season since 2019, not only because he's overhyped, but because he can't stay healthy. In fact, quarterback Baker Mayfield actually played better without OBJ after Beckham tore his ACL in week 7 of the 2020 season. Odell Beckham Jr. is a solid receiver but not a game-changer and should be treated as such.
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