Who is the most underrated NFL player? The perennial MVP candidates and All-Pro selections generate most of the attention, as do a lot of top NFL Draft picks. When examining all of the talent across the league, it’s not hard to find players who deserve far more recognition from fans and even some inside the NFL than they get.
After examining the most overrated NFL players right now, it’s time to highlight some of the most underrated NFL players in 2025 at each position.
QB: Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders finally have a good quarterback and a very good one at that. While he only finished last season with 21 passing touchdowns while throwing 21 interceptions, Smith remains a high-end starter. He led all NFL quarterbacks in On-Target rate (81.8 percent) with the lowest Bad Throw rate (10.4 percent) in the NFL last season. It’s also worth noting that of his 15 interceptions, 13 came when pressured. He now leaves behind a Seattle Seahawks offensive line that allowed the most pressures (232) for a Raiders’ offense with a dynamic running game and better pass protection. That means a lot more passes from a clean pocket, a situation in which Smith had the 10th-highest QB rating (109.2) and the eighth-most passing yards (3,077) last year. He can be a top-12 quarterback this season and, at the very least, is an above-average starter.
RB: James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals offense ranked 10th in EPA per Play (0.067) and seventh in yards-per-play average (5.9) last season in large part because of running back James Conner. While he only finished the season with 1,094 rushing yards and 9 total touchdowns, Conner performed like a top-five running back in other areas. He finished fourth among ball-carriers with 200-plus carries in yards after contact per attempt (2.4), tied with Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson. He also finished third in rush attempts per broken tackle (9.8), sixth in yards created per touch (4.27) and he had the fourth-most runs of 10-plus yards (34), again tied with Robinson. He’s been great for a while now and the 30-year-old deserves more recognition.
WR: Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Instead of using their first-round pick on a wide receiver, the Los Angeles Chargers selected offensive tackle oe Alt and then snagged Ladd McConkey with the 34th overall pick. As a rookie, in an offense with the 10th-highest rushing rate in the NFL, McConkey snagged 82 receptions for 1,149 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 16 games. Far more impressive, though, is the fact that he had the sixth-highest yards per route run (2.38) among wide receivers with 100-plus targets, right behind Ja’Marr Chase and ahead of Amon-Ra St. Brown. He also had the fourth-highest QB rating when targeted (123.0) in that group, just slightly higher than A.J. Brown. As long as McConkey stays healthy, he can emerge as a top-10 receiver this year.
TE: Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers spread the ball around a lot, so there’s not one single pass-catcher who dominates targets. With his 70 targets last season, Tucker Kraft maximized them. The second-year tight end finished the year with 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, becoming a go-to target for Jordan Love. Among his peers, he recorded the second-highest yards per reception (14.1), right behind All-Pro George Kittle (14.2). Kraft also ranked second in yards per route run (2.64) and had the fifth-most yards after catch (456). With another step forward, he can be a top-five tight end this season.
OL: Sam Cosmi, Washington Commanders
Sam Cosmi is the only one listed among the most underrated NFL players who will miss the start of the season due to injury. The Washington Commanders suffered an ACL tear in January, which impacted his offseason plans to take another leap in 2025 and it will keep him out for the first few weeks this season. Cosmi’s talent will be even more evident while he’s sidelined. In 2024, he ranked fifth among guards in ESPN’s Run Block Win Rate (75 percent) and he ranked sixth in PFF‘s Pass Blocking Efficiency (98.2), allowing just 1 sack in 700 pass-blocking snaps. When Cosmi is healthy and returns to form, he’ll be a Pro Bowl-caliber guard.
Related: Best NFL Offensive Lines 2025
EDGE: YaYa Diaby, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Edge rushers get a lot more attention than they used to, so we had to dig a little deeper to highlight the most underrated NFL player at this position. YaYa Diaby is the standout. Selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 82nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he’s developed into their best edge rusher. Diaby generated a career-high 20 QB hits last season, coming off a season where he finished fifth for Defensive Rookie of the Year after earning 7.5 sacks in only 515 snaps. Considering that Diaby had the ninth-most pressures (65) in the NFL last year and he’s now being mentored by Haason Reddick, we think even more greatness is imminent.
LB: Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions received criticism and overheard a lot of skepticism when they selected Jack Campbell with the 18th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Needless to say, the Lions front office was right again. Campbell had the 10th-lowest missed tackle rate (7.4 percent) and he made a huge impact as a run defender, as evidenced by the third-highest stop rate (10.7 percent) at his position. If he keeps making positive strides in coverage, Campbell needs to be recognized as one of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL.
CB: Christian Benford, Buffalo Bills
When we’re highlighting the most underrated NFL players right now, it’s often to put a spotlight on someone who many casual fans might not give enough recognition to. In the case of Christian Benford, it’s the NFL that isn’t appreciating him. Benford didn’t make the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025 list and the NFL scouts, coaches, and executives ESPN polled didn’t even include him in the “Also receiving votes” section when evaluating the best cornerbacks.
That’s hard to explain considering he’s the best defensive back on one of the league’s most consistent defenses. Last year for the Buffalo Bills, Benford allowed the fourth-lowest yards per completion (8.5) among starting corners (50-plus targets faced). He also allowed the ninth-lowest QB rating (72.3) last season. If you want to know just how great he is, go back to the AFC Championship Game and see how the Chiefs’ game plan changed the moment Benford left the game with a concussion. Benford is an outstanding corner.
