8. Cincinnati Bengals: Bryan Cook, safety
The Cincinnati Bengals' most underrated player heading into the 2026 season is actually one of the newest players on their team.
Bryan Cook has been a starter for the Kansas City Chiefs for the last handful of years, and his presence is one the Chiefs are liable to miss rather quickly this season. Cook has over 160 total tackles and 11 passes broken up over the past two seasons.
PFF gave him the 4th-best overall grade among safeties last season, and the 6th-highest coverage grade out of all safeties. Cook is a Cincinnati native who played his college ball for the Bearcats. Now, he'll get a chance to continue building his pro career as a member of his hometown Bengals.
7. Indianapolis Colts: DeForest Buckner, defensive lineman
DeForest Buckner has been selected to multiple Pro Bowls and multiple All-Pro teams in his NFL career, so how is it that he's underrated?
It just feels like this is one of the most consistently good defensive linemen in the NFL whose consistency has become borderline "boring". You know what you're getting from Buckner on a week-to-week basis, and he's the type of player coaches and executives might appreciate more than fans or media.
Over the course of his entire career, Buckner averages 8.9 sacks per 17 games played. He's gotten hurt each of the past two seasons, missing a total of 12 games, but he's still highly disruptive as a pass rusher. Despite playing just 10 games last season, his 36 total pressures (PFF) ranked 22nd among all interior defensive linemen.
Add us as a preferred source on Google