Most Overrated NFL Players 2025: Identifying Most Overrated Player at Each Position
Let's dive into our list of the most overrated NFL players right now.
QB: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
While fans might not view Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford as one of the most overrated NFL players in 2025, he makes the list because of what people inside the league believe. When Mike Sando of The Athletic polled talent evaluators around the NFL, they put Stafford in the same tier (Tier 1) as Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Stafford ended last season with the fourth-worst On-Target Rate (74.3 percent) among quarterbacks with 15-plus starts. He also had the second-worst QB rating (50.8) when pressured and was just 15th in QB rating (95.8) on downfield (20-plus yard) throws and was 15th at his position in Adjusted EPA per Play (0.126). Now entering his age-37 season and already struggling to stay healthy, even top-10 quarterback play feels like a stretch.
Related:
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Running the football effectively can't be easy when your starting quarterback is completing under 50 percent of his passes. With that said, it's not as if Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts offensive line did all they could to help Jonathan Taylor. After all, Indianapolis finished last season ranked fourth in ESPN Run Block Win Rate (74 percent) and this team is just a year removed from fill-in Zack Moss averaging 4.3 yards per carry with 6 touchdowns and 794 rushing yards on 183 attempts.
Related:
On the surface, Taylor's 4.7 yards-per-carry average, 11 rushing touchdowns, and 1,431 rushing yards in 14 games look outstanding. However, the veteran running back also ranked 24th in true yards per carry (4.3), 16th in evaded tackles (54), 43rd in juke rate (16.8 percent), and he had the fourth-lowest yards after contact per attempt (1.9) among running backs with 220-plus carries. On top of all that, he's largely become a non-factor as a receiving threat (12 yards per game) in the last two years.
WR: DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers
Some of this might be a bit of a projection for how things are about to go in 2025 for DK Metcalf with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After all, 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers really doesn't like No. 1 receivers who tend to operate on their own and don't run designed, crisp routes. It also won't help that Metcalf is Rodgers is as inconsistent throwing deep as he was in 2024 (39.7 percent completion rate).
Related:
Metcalf also isn't exactly coming off a banner season in Seattle. He finished 43rd in yards per route run (1.83), 100th in contested catch rate (19.2 percent) and 93rd in Expected Points Added (+10.5). He's three years removed from his last season with 10-plus touchdowns and he's averaged 63.4 receiving yards per game after posting an 8.4 ypg average in 2020. Realistically, Metcalf's days as a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver are over.
TE: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Maybe Travis Kelce's offseason devoted to getting back in shape changes things. The reality is, heading into his age-36 campaign, Kelce has just lost the battle to Father Time. Because of the Rashee Rice injury in 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs offense had no choice but to make Kelce their primary pass-catcher. As a result, he played over 920 offensive snaps for the first time since 2019. Between that and the decline brought on by aging and a decade-plus of hits, Kelce had the third-lowest yards per reception (8.5), the second-lowest yards after catch per reception (3.5) among qualified tight ends, and he was 21st in yards per route run (1.67). At this point in his career, the future Hall of Famer is just a complementary weapon who should play fewer than 800 snaps.
Related:
OL: Taylor Decker, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have had one of the best offensive lines in football for years now. Even with the retirement of standout center Frank Ragnow and the new-look interior, this unit still boasts the tandem of Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. While Sewell is arguably the best tackle in all of football, there's a case to be made that Decker is the most overrated offensive lineman. Coming off a Pro Bowl selection in 2024, Decker allowed the seventh-most sacks (eight) and ranked just 13th among all offensive tackles in ESPN Pass-Block Win Rate (92 percent), while placing 46th in PFF's Pass Blocking Efficiency (95.9). He's a very good player, but the overall success of the Lions is influencing his reputation a little too much.
Related:
EDGE: Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Two things can be true. First, Trey Hendrickson has earned a lucrative contract extension from the Cincinnati Bengals. Second, Hendrickson is certainly overrated coming off a season where he earned first-team All-Pro honors. While he's totaled 25 sacks over the last two seasons and was the only NFL player with a pressure share over 30 percent last season, per ESPN, he really doesn't bring much as a run defender. Hendrickson is great at one thing: getting to the quarterback. It's everything else that makes him more of a top-10 player at his position than a top-five guy.
Related:
LB: Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers
Off-ball linebackers aren't as popular in the modern NFL as they used to be, so there's a smaller pool to choose from when deciding the most overrated player. Heading into 2025, the obvious high-profile pick is Patrick Queen. A second-team All-Pro selection in 2023, Queen earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection this past season in his first year with Pittsburgh. That's what playing for a marquee team with a passionate fan base will do. In reality, Queen had the sixth-highest missed tackle rate (17.1 percent) among starting linebackers with the third-worst stop rate (4.7 percent). When he dropped back in coverage, he allowed a 105.0 QB rating (PFF) and gave up the fourth-most receiving yards (718). Queen is a very good starter, that's it.
Related:
CB: Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
Cornerback is the most volatile position in the NFL. For two consecutive years, you (Sauce Gardner) could be playing like a future Hall of Famer, and the following season, it all falls apart. Denzel Ward is a four-time Pro Bowl selection, including the last two seasons. He was also voted by NFL executives and coaches as the third-best cornerback in the NFL.
Related:
However, not only are Ward's durability issues a problem that keeps him off the field at least once each season, but the numbers don't reflect his reputation. Ward allowed the second-highest yards per target (9.3) among corners targeted 50-plus times. With the likes of Devon Witherspoon, Christian Gonzalez, Quinyon Mitchell, and Jaycee Horn on the rise, Ward might not be a top-10 cornerback this season.
Related Headlines
Shedeur Sanders May Have Changed Cleveland Browns' Plans
Kansas City Chiefs Starter Expected to Receive Lengthy Suspension
Top Phillies Executive Admits Keeping Kyle Schwarber 'Won't Be Easy' Amid MVP Season
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Phillies placing ace Zack Wheeler on IL with blood clot near right shoulder
The Philadelphia Phillies are placing ace Zack Wheeler in the injured list with a blood clot near his right shoulder, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters Saturday. Wheeler has no timetable to return. This article will be updated with more information.
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Coffe-lover Atmane felt the buzz from Cincinnati breakthrough
French qualifier Terence Atmane said his Saturday Cincinnati Open semi-final against world number one Jannik Sinner will remain his brightest tennis memory despite absorbing a 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 loss to the defending champion. The 23-year-old who credits mental training with helping him evolve from a racquet-smashing Tour wild child to a serious contender, defines himself as something of a tennis Renaissance man, with a multitude of interests off the court. "I'm a tennis player but I also collect Pokemon cards and always look for good coffee places on the tour," he said. "I love Japanese culture and food. "I have three cats waiting for me at home in France. I like space, the universe and this world that we live in." While he donned a local Cincinnati Reds baseball cap after wins over top 10 opponents Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune this week, Atmane said he would won't have time to take up an invitation from some fans to attend a game. "I have to get to New York as soon as possible," he said post-match. The number 136 who will rise inside the top 70 after this event, called his showing "absolutely insane. "I can't believe I played the semi-finals here," he said. "Today will be a good memory for me which I will remember for a long time." Atmane recounts how a change earlier this season also meant a change in his previously suspect attitude. "I'm still the same guy I was, but one who is different mentally, I've worked a lot to stabilise myself, trying to make my mental stronger than my emotions. "I think that is the key for me to reach a higher level." The Frenchman presented Sinner with a Pokemon card from his collection of the Japanese trading cards as a 24th birthday present before their match. "I had to give Jannik something, it's his birthday," he said. "I had brought some from France. I'm a collector - it was the perfect gift." Atmane then put up a poised fight in the opening set before Sinner pulled away in the second for victory. "He was just better than me," Atmane said. "He took all the responsibility in the second set and he was able to play his game. "If it's the world number one then its over already. I fought hard to hold my serve in the first set, but after seven matches my body was tired." str/bb
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rookie Cade Cavalli earns first MLB victory as Nationals beat NL East-leading Phillies 2-0
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cade Cavalli earned his first major league victory, James Wood hit a two-run double, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on Saturday. Cavalli struck out five and scattered seven hits over seven innings for Washington. The last-place Nationals have won three of four. Trea Turner had three hits for NL East-leading Philadelphia, which was shut out for the eighth time this season and lost for the fourth time in five games. Cavalli (1-0) was Washington's first-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft and debuted in August 2022. He made only one start with the Nationals because of a shoulder injury, and didn't make it back to the majors until Aug. 6, after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. In his third start with Washington this season, Cavalli allowed only one runner to reach third. The 27-year-old right-hander retired the final eight batters he faced and needed only 90 pitches for the longest outing of his career. Washington didn't get a runner past second against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker (4-6) until the fifth inning, when Dylan Crews walked and moved to third on Brady House's single. Both runners scored when Wood doubled into the gap in right-center. Jose Ferrer pitched two innings for his second save. After J.T. Realmuto singled with one out in the ninth and advanced to second on an error by Wood, Ferrer got Brandon Marsh to ground out on one pitch and then struck out Harrison Bader to end it. Walker allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Key moment With runners on the corners in the fourth, Cavalli coaxed Max Kepler's double-play grounder to shortstop to escape the jam. Key stat Cavalli has not allowed a run in 11 1/3 innings over two home starts this season. Up next Philadelphia RHP Aaron Nola (1-7, 6.16 ERA) comes off the injured list to make his first start since May 14. He faces Washington LHP Mitchell Parker (7-13, 5.55) as the four-game series concludes Sunday. ___ AP MLB:
