Most underrated NFL players at each position

#10 Inside linebacker – Jordan Hicks

As far as offseason acquisitions go, there aren’t many that have been better than this one. Everybody went crazy over Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, but nobody has gotten a return on investment than what they got for guys like Za’Darius Smith and Jordan Hicks. After Hicks was inserted into the starting lineup in the middle of his rookie season with the Eagles and had an excellent year two, he missed a combined 13 games of the last couple of years and signed a four-year contract with Arizona.

The Cardinals linebacker is fifth in the league with 136 combined tackles and while I don’t believe that this is the most telling statistic all the time, especially for a defense that is on the field a whole lot, he has truly been all over the field for his new team. Not only has he taken ball-carriers down behind the line of scrimmage 11 times, but he has also been on point with his angles towards the sideline on runs to the edge and sniffed out a bunch of screen passes.

Hicks has also shown a knack for the ball with his three picks, two forced fumbles and another one recovered. An additional six passes broken up and the fact he hasn’t missed a single snap on defense all year long make him one of the more valuable linebackers in regard to his team out there. Arizona might have the 31st ranked defense in yards allowed, but if Budda Baker didn’t get voted into the Pro Bowl and Chandler Jones didn’t just take the league-lead in sacks, they could certainly have up to three guys on this list.

Honorable mentions: Eric Kendricks, Corey Littleton, and Jayon Brown