Mike Evans, DaRon Bland voted as NFL's most underrated players by fellow Pro Bowlers
"The defensive end who plays for Baltimore." … Final answer.
While the top NFL players faced off last weekend in a variety of events for the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, FOX Sports' NFC South reporter Greg Auman put a bunch of them through his own challenge: the Pro Bowl Confidential, a quick and fun survey featuring anonymous answers from players on topics ranging from football to travel to pop culture.
The fourth edition of the survey featured answers from 35 players (the highest yet), who provided their answers to evergreen questions. So, who do the Pro Bowlers believe are the most underrated players in the league this year?
On the offensive side, wideouts seemed to be the common answer. But the defensive side was a little trickier, as even recalling certain players' names seemed to be a bit difficult for some. "The best endorsement for a player voting for someone being most underrated is literally not knowing their name," Auman reported.
Check out the results below, along with more of his thoughts!
Question: Who is the most underrated offensive player?
Answer: Tie, but receivers reign
Auman: As much as is written about "Pro Bowl snubs," we like to ask players for the league's most underrated players on offense and defense. We ask that they not vote for any of their teammates, and everyone's definition of "underrated" is different, so you'll see some of the most respected names in the sport, and even crossover between MVP votes and most underrated votes.
Only three guys on offense earned multiple votes — Bucs receiver Mike Evans and two fullbacks, the 49ers' Kyle Juszczyk and the Dolphins' Alec Ingold — with two each. We'll just list the rest alphabetically, though there's one missing. We record the answers in a chaotic blur and then go back and tally up the responses, and we've listened to one answer for the most underrated offensive player a million times and still can't decipher the name, even though we answered with an enthusiastic "good answer" in real-time, like a Family Feud teammate. It sounds like "Othello Quinto" but there's nothing close to that. If you have a good guess, email me at greg.auman@fox.com and I'll try to verify and update.
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The tally:
Mike Evans, Buccaneers receiver (2)
Alec Ingold, Dolphins fullback (2)
Kyle Juszczyk, 49ers fullback (2)
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers receiver
Saquon Barkley, Giants running back
James Cook, Bills running back
Britain Covey, Eagles receiver
Romeo Doubs, Packers receiver
Chris Godwin, Bucs receiver
Justin Jefferson, Vikings receiver
Alvin Kamara, Saints running back
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks receiver
Baker Mayfield, Bucs quarterback
Terry McLaurin, Commanders receiver
David Montgomery, Lions running back
Puka Nacua, Rams receiver
K.J. Osborn, Vikings receiver
Brock Purdy, 49ers quarterback
Penei Sewell, Lions tackle
Dontayvion Wicks, Packers receiver
Kyren Williams, Rams running back
Question: Who is the most underrated defensive player?
Answer: "The defensive end who plays for Baltimore"
Auman: The best endorsement for a player voting for someone being most underrated is literally not knowing their name. Justin Madubuike got his two votes that way, tying him with the Cowboys' Bland for most on defense and just beating out Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who got 1.5. Here's the full tally, featuring quite a few who received a single vote.
DaRon Bland, Cowboys cornerback (2)
Justin Madubuike, Ravens defensive lineman (2)
Derrick Brown, Panthers defensive lineman (1.5)
Brian Branch, Lions defensive back
Lavonte David, Bucs linebacker
T.J. Edwards, Bears linebacker
Kyle Hamilton, Ravens safety
Trey Hendrickson, Bengals edge
Danielle Hunter, Vikings edge
Jaylon Johnson, Bears cornerback
Ernest Jones, Rams linebacker
Dexter Lawrence, Giants defensive lineman
Patrick Queen, Ravens linebacker
D.J. Reader, Bengals defensive lineman
Zach Sieler, Dolphins defensive lineman
Andrew Van Ginkel, Dolphins linebacker
Christian Wilkins, Dolphins defensive lineman
Quinnen Williams, Jets defensive lineman
Quincy Williams, Jets linebacker
Al Woods, Jets defensive lineman (0.5)
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