Green Bay Packers: 10 Nationally underrated players of the 2000s

2. Micah Hyde

Utility-man Micah Hyde. He was the Green Bay Packers Swiss Army Knife for the first four seasons of his career. That is, until he signed with the Buffalo Bills before the 2017 season. In his four years with the Packers, Hyde did a little bit of everything. Playing in 63 games (33 starts), Hyde pulled in solid numbers across the board. He racked up 189 tackles and four sacks, as well as 25 pass deflections and eight interceptions.

Those are actually pretty excellent numbers, but Hyde was always hidden (I hate myself for that pun) by the media. It’s pretty clear why too. The numbers are great, but nothing jumps out at you. He played all over the field, so there was no one spot to zero in on him either. Instead it was easier to focus on defensive backs like Sam Shields. Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji took up plenty of media space as well.

Basically, Hyde was good at everything, but didn’t particularly excel at one thing in particular. He wasn’t the best in the league in coverage and didn’t hit the hardest, etc. Therefore, why would the media waste their time on a player who didn’t even really have a defined role?

The reason they should have given Hyde his due is because he deserved it. He was extremely important to the Packers, and helped keep the defense together. Whenever there were injuries, it was a comforting thought to know Hyde was there to fill out any role.

Of course, now Green Bay has a young and potential filled secondary. However, I don’t think you’d find many Packers fans that wouldn’t want Hyde on the roster, ready to do what’s needed for the defense.

Hyde had his best season in the NFL in 2017 with the Bills. Starting all 16 games for the first time in his career, and doing so with a defined role. As he continues to grow and get more exposure, maybe he won’t be go unnoticed for much longer.