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 are the 13 Most Overrated NFL players in 2024:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Alvin Kamara:
Early in his career, Alvin Kamara cemented himself as one of the NFL's best dual-threat running backs. But like many running backs, he has only gotten worse with age. 2023 was his worst career season, rushing for just 694 yards and receiving only 466. But the media is slow to catch up with the fact that Kamara simply isn't the player he used to be. After hall-of-fame quarterback Drew Brees retired in 2020, Alvin Kamara was supposed to step up and lead a struggling Saints' offense, but his production only declined despite the extra carries he received.
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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