The NFL is filled with both overrated and underrated players. Who are the five most overrated in the NFL ahead of the 2024 season? Being an overrated player is nothing that anyone wants to have to endure, but sometimes it's the cold, hard truth. There are well over 1,000 active players in the NFL currently.
Some of them need way more attention for just how good they are. Others, however, are getting too much credit for their performances in the NFL. Heading into the 2024 NFL Season, who are the five most overrated players in the league?
Who are the 5 move overrated players in the NFL ahead of the 2024 Season?
1. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Definitely someone on this list that most will disagree with, Josh Allen is much closer to being the 10th-best QB in the NFL than he is the 2nd-best, which is where many rank him. He's a turnover machine and has made little progress in the postseason since being drafted. After all, NFL teams who apparently have elite passers have Super Bowl goals, right? Allen hasn't been good enough to make the jump past Patrick Mahomes.
And while me reducing this argument down to just two players might not be fair, well, it's how the AFC works now. Allen and the Bills have had 10 postseason games since he's taken over as their franchise QB. They've gone 5-5 in the playoffs and have not advanced past the AFC Championship Game. And frankly, they've continually lost those games in avoidable ways.
Allen himself is an up-and-down passer. He's thrown 78 interceptions through six seasons and averages 14 picks through a 17-game season. Josh Allen also has 59 career fumbles, and the Bills have lost 24 of them. So, in total. Josh Allen has 102 turnovers through 94 career regular season games in the NFL. It's simply not a sustainable number and it's something that is going to prevent Buffalo from accomplishing their goals.
2. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
This might upset some people, but what good has Dak Prescott done besides putting up nice statistics in the regular season? Is Prescott just another version of Kirk Cousins? That's how it seems. Prescott owns a horrid 2-5 playoff record and has never led his teams past the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
What's the catch? What would make Dak Prescott a top-10 QB? The way his career has gone, you have to think of him as being more of an average QB, stuck in the tier with guys like Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr. Besides being strong in the regular season, there isn't anything else to like with Dak Prescott.
3. Orlando Brown Jr, LT, Cincinnati Bengals
I don't believe Orlando Brown Jr is as great of a left tackle as some think he is. According to PFF, he was responsible for three penalties and seven sacks allowed in 2023. In 2022, PFF credits him with six penalties and four sacks allowed. As a whole, the Bengals OL allowed a whopping 50 sacks in 2023, which ranked as the 8th-most in the NFL.
Orlando Brown Jr is paid like a top-tier left tackle, but he's honestly pretty average.
4. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Oh boy, this might upset some people, but in reality, it looks like the Eagles and Jalen Hurts' breakout 2022 season was more of an outlier, as he's been a backup-caliber QB in every other season of his career. The Eagles offensive coordinator in 2022 was Shane Steichen, who is now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
In 2023, Hurts threw 23 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. He's never thrown for 4,000 yards in any season and has never thrown for more tha 23 touchdowns in a single season. His highest completion percentage in any season is 66.5, which is pretty average. Overall, Jalen Hurts just isn't nearly as good as I think the consensus opinion is on him.
He's legitimately got one good season to his credit.
5. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley was the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft and was given the generational label by many. However, through six seasons, Barkley has been anything but. First off, he's played just one full season. He has just three 1,000-yard seasons and has averaged less than four yards per attempt in three seasons.
Barkley hasn't nearly lived up to his draft status, and has been a pretty average running back since entering the league in 2018. His health is also a concern, as he's missed 25 games across six seasons, which comes out to about 4 games missed per season. There's virtually no arguments for the Eagles having giving him the free agent deal they did.
They could have saved some of their money and looked at a lower-cost option for similar production.