In every single sport, it's not uncommon for the league, the press, the analysts and even the fans themselves, to give an athlete a higher value than he really has, and the NFL is no exception.
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There are several NFL players today who receive more praise than they should, being considered the icing on the cake when in reality they are not. There are certain players that people believe are some of the best in the league, but the stats don't lie and reflect the true value of those players. Without further ado, let's have some real talk and take a look at the 10 most overrated players in the NFL today.
10 Jamal Adams
When talking about overrated players, Jamal Adams is always in the conversation. Certainly, the Seattle Seahawks safety is very talented, but he is nowhere near the best safety in the league as some say.
In 2020 Adams had his worst season, and while he improved a bit in 2021, he had his worst performance in terms of receiving yards per reception allowed (13.4) and receiving touchdowns allowed (4). In short, Jamal Adams is very good, but he is definitely overrated.
9 Baker Mayfield
The first overall pick in the 2018 draft has not lived up to expectations. In four seasons, Baker Mayfield has 87.8 rating, with a 61.6 pass completion percentage, 235.4 yards per game, 56 passes intercepted and 134 sacks. In addition, the Cleveland Browns have a 29-30 record with Mayfield as the starting quarterback.
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Still, people continue to expect big things from Mayfield, and some think there was no need for the Browns to bring in Deshaun Watson.
8 Odell Beckham Jr.
Baker Mayfield's former teammate, Odell Beckham Jr. is also overrated. OBJ made a big impact is his first season, recording 108.8 receiving yards per game and winning offensive rookie of the year award. The next two seasons he also maintained a good level, but from 2017 onwards he has not been the same.
2021 was the worst season of Beckham's career, having career-low numbers in receiving yards per game (38.4), receptions per game (3.1), and second worst in catch percentage (53.7%) and yards per reception (12.2). These are not numbers worthy of someone considered one of the best wide receivers in the game.
7 Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott had 6,300 yards from scrimmage in his first 50 career games, which is absolutely insane. The first three years of his career were awesome, and that’s why the Dallas Cowboys signed him to a six-year, $90 million contract extension.
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However, since that moment, he has decreased his level of play, and in the last two seasons he has been unrecognizable, with 61.9 rushing yards per game, 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and 20 touchdowns in 32 games. Zeke has undoubtedly become overrated.
6 Amari Cooper
Many fans and analysts think that Amari Cooper is one of the best receivers in the NFL, and surely the Dallas Cowboys thought so too when giving him a five-year, $100 million contract extension. However, it's safe to say that Cooper wasn't even among the top 10 receivers in the league last season, and that's probably what led Jerry Jones to make the decision to send him to the Cleveland Browns.
5 Bud Dupree
Bud Dupree had a great season in 2019, leading him to be considered one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. However, Dupree has struggled with injuries since then and when he has been healthy, he has not shown anything special.
The Tennessee Titans brought in Bud Dupree to strengthen their defense, but he performed quite poorly and finished the season on the injured reserve list. In 2021, Dupree had just three sacks and 13 solo tackles, both career-low.
4 Keenan Allen
It may be bold to say that Keenan Allen is overrated, but at least the stats tell us that he is. Certainly, he is the player with the most receptions in the NFL over the past five years, but what about the other aspects of the game? Allen wasn't even the best on his team in terms of receiving yards or yards per reception nor touchdowns, as he was second to Mike Williams in those departments. He's a good WR, for sure, but one of the top 10 in the league, as many consider him? Absolutely not.
3 Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts has a very powerful arm and based on that people tend to think of him as a special quarterback. For example, when he completed a 91-yard pass, people went crazy. However, Hurts has a terrible career pass completion percentage of 59.0 and his rating is 84.7, clearly below average. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback will surely improve as the years go by, but today he is among the most overrated players in the NFL.
2 Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson used to be an outstanding player, being a fairly complete cornerback. Peterson peaked at the age of 25, and since then his career went into decline.
Despite the obvious decline in his play in recent seasons, people still believe that Peterson is a phenom and that he just needs better teammates to show his talent, which is absurd. Patrick Peterson has been overrated for much of his career, and remains so today.
1 JuJu Smith-Schuster
"We're fired up to add JuJu to this offense, he'll be an added threat," Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said of the signing of JuJu Smith-Schuster. It's hard to believe Veach is serious, as the wide receiver has shown nothing remarkable since his debut NFL season, let alone in 2021, when he played just five games, with a 53.6 catch percentage and 25.8 receiving yards per game. JuJu Smith-Schuster is definitely one of the most overrated players in the NFL today.
