Secret Superstar

[Saraid Madnick]

Notevery player in the NFL gets equal recognition, and that occasionally means players who warrant more attention slip through the cracks. Everyone can't be Patrick Mahomes, T.J. Watt or Justin Jefferson, but there are players whose impact on their teams deserves more attention. The secret superstars if you will.

Kaden Elliss was rewarded with a three-year, $21.5 million contract by the Atlanta Falcons last offseason after impressing with the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons should be extremely happy with the deal they made. Elliss has been a jack-of-all-trades on a much-improved Falcons defense in 2023, racking up 122 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Hill was a big factor on the ground, rushing for a career-high 387 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He also featured heavily in the passing game, catching 28 passes for 206 yards. Hill even showed up in pass protection too, coming up big with a 63.9 PFF pass-blocking grade on 70 snaps. He was the whole package for the Ravens, shining all over the field.

There are playmakers all over the defense with Brian Burns, Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn, but Luvu is the unsung hero. He can affect the game as a pass-rusher, a run defender, a blitzer and even in coverage. Luvu's multidimensional skillset makes him a true every-down player.

The Bears signed T.J. Edwards to a three-year contract in the offseason after an impressive stint with the Eagles, hoping that he could fill the void left by Roquan Smith. The linebacker responded with another excellent season, racking up 155 total tackles, totaling eight games with double-digit tackles.

The Browns' 2023 defense was one of the best in recent memory, with key contributors all over the field. Not many made a bigger splash than Owusu-Koramoah. The linebacker plays like he was shot out of a cannon, and his 75.2 PFF grade ranked 20th at the position.

The unsung heroes of NFL teams usually reside in the trenches. That much can be said for Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz, who has been one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL this season. His 83.8 PFF grade is third among all guards while his 88.8 PFF run-blocking grade is tied for first.

Wicks was one of the best yards-after-catch receivers in the NFL too, showing his real ability as a playmaker with the ball in his hands. He averaged 5.6 yards after the catch per reception this season, 19th-most in the NFL.

Blake Cashman has come to life in his second season with the Texans, becoming a figurehead of DeMeco Ryans's defense and starting 13-of-14 games this season. The linebacker has been playing like a bat out of hell, earning an 83.7 PFF grade in 2023, the fifth-highest among all linebackers.

Tranquil earned the second-highest PFF pass-rushing grade among all linebackers in 2023, and his 19 pressures were the 15th-highest. He only started eight games and 652 snaps, but any time he was on the field, Tranquil was making plays.

Koonce was 20th in pressure rate this season and his pass-rush win rate of 14.8% was 32nd among all edge rushers. Playing beside Crosby helps, but Koonce had an excellent season and could take another leap forward in 2024.

Like Tuipulotu, Kobie Turner was a rookie who made an exceptional splash in 2023. The Rams' third-round pick tallied nine sacks and 50 pressures, outperforming every other rookie interior defensive lineman in the process. His 83.2 overall PFF grade was the 11th-highest at the position too.

Sometimes, all a player needs is a fresh system to awaken them. The Vikings defense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2022, but Brian Flores' arrival awakened something in it this year, and the Vikings defense was an impressive unit that consistently got after offenses.

After a down year in 2022, Paulson Adebo responded in 2023 with an excellent season. His 80.5 PFF coverage grade ranked 15th among all cornerbacks in the NFL and only Benjamin St-Juste had more forced incompletions when targets. Adebo fully cemented himself as a lockdown corner.

Bryce Huff wreaked havoc on offensive lines across the NFL despite not starting a game this season. The former undrafted free agent has carved out a role for himself as an excellent pass rusher on one of the best defenses in the NFL. His 10 sacks and 67 pressures were by far career-highs, and Huff was second in pressure rate and fourth in pass-rush win rate among all edge defenders.

Jaylen Warren impressed in his second season in the NFL, carrying the ball 149 times for 784 rushing yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. On top of that, Warren caught 61 passes for 370 yards and proved to be an impressive weapon out of the backfield.

Deommodore Lenoir stepped up in a big way in his third NFL season. He spent most of his time at outside corner but filled in occasionally in the slot, and wherever he played, Lenoir was excellent. His 72.5 PFF grade ranked 28th among all cornerbacks in the NFL, and he was part of a 49ers defense that allowed 214.2 passing yards per game in 2023.

The Seahawks have been waiting for an edge rusher to appear for some time now, and they may finally have their answer in Boye Mafe. The former second-round pick notched nine sacks and 58 pressures in his second season in the NFL and became a real problem for opposing offensive lines.

After a tough start to his NFL career in 2022, Luke Goedeke switched from left guard to right tackle, filling the hole left by Tristan Wirfs, who slid across the line to left tackle. It was a big ask, but Goedeke performed well above expectations.

His 72.5 PFF grade was a huge improvement from his 43.7 PFF grade from his rookie season, and Goedeke allowed just a 6.9% pressure rate despite playing every single offensive snap in 2023. He, like the Buccaneers, was a major surprise in the best way.

Spears was drafted in 2023 as the perfect compliment to Derrick Henry, a smaller, shifty back with excellent burst and ability as a pass catcher. And Spears flashed every bit of that ability in 2023, carrying the ball 100 times for 453 yards and two touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 385 yards and a touchdown.

The former Tulane running back had the 11th-most receiving yards among all running backs this season and should likely take on a bigger role with Derrick Henry hitting free agency. He might not be a bellcow, but Spears commands a big role in the offense.

Flying the flag for the fullback position, only Kyle Juszczyk has played more snaps on offense over the past two years than Ricard, though sadly his time moonlighting as a defensive tackle seems to be in the rearview mirror. Ricard has been a consistently dominant run blocker in terms of PFF grades, proving that, at least in certain offenses, an old-school throwback still has a place to pave the way for success on the ground.

The Bengals made big strides this offseason in overhauling their offensive line to ensure that Joe Burrow has the platform to take this team back to the Super Bowl. Karras may be the least exciting signing of the three front-five veterans Cincinnati brought in, but his ability to provide solid play at multiple interior positions gives the offense a vital degree of flexibility. Karras allowed 11 total pressures in each of the past two seasons, one year starting at center and the other at both left and right guard over the course of the campaign.

Jewell played just 82 snaps last season before injury struck, but he has been a consistently strong performer for the Broncos since the team drafted him in 2018. Jewell may not have the most impressive physical gifts in the league, but he reads the game quickly and is particularly adept at coming downhill and making plays in the run game. He tallied 42 defensive stops in his last full season (2020), and that was also the year in which he earned at least above-average grades in every facet of play PFF measures.

Harris had been a first-round bust over his first four seasons in the NFL. Three years in Miami saw his PFF pass-rushing grade get worse each season, and a year in Atlanta only continued that trend. But in Detroit, we saw a real impact player for the first time. Harris notched 52 pressures last season and an impressive 78.7 pass-rushing grade, the best of his career by a clear 10 grading points. Harris was a former first-round pick for a reason, and the Lions retained him for the upcoming season hoping he can repeat that performance.

Fenton was the Chiefs' best-graded cornerback last season, and he now has three-straight NFL seasons with a PFF coverage grade of at least 74.4 to start his career. Fenton allowed only one touchdown all season and gave up just 8.7 yards per reception from the 52 targets sent his way. The team allowed Charvarius Ward to leave in the offseason, opening up an opportunity for Fenton to step into a bigger role as an every-down player, something his play so far has earned.

Hobbs finished his rookie year with a top-10 PFF grade among cornerbacks, grading well in both run defense and coverage. The Raiders' defensive scheme may have asked a little less of him than some other players, but he allowed only one touchdown all season and 8.5 yards per reception. Hobbs dramatically outperformed his fifth-round draft status and was one of the best rookies in the league last year.

Few players better embody the notion of a secret superstar than Miami defensive lineman Zach Sieler. A seventh-round draft pick out of Ferris State in 2018, Sieler struggled to earn playing time on a stacked Ravens defensive line but has played 500 or more snaps for Miami in each of the past two years, earning progressively better PFF grades. That culminated in him ranking behind only Aaron Donald and Cameron Heyward in that category in 2021. Sieler also tallied 38 defensive stops, more than players with hundreds more snaps than him.

Onwenu has racked up a little more than 1,500 snaps in two NFL seasons, earning an overall PFF grade of at least 84.3 each year despite playing in multiple different spots along the offensive line. Onwenu lost out in the shuffle last year when everybody got healthy, but this season, he figures to be one of the five starters for New England. If he can maintain the level of play he has shown thus far as a pro, he will be one of the best linemen in the NFL and a true secret superstar.

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