Most underrated NFL players at each position

#7 Edge Rusher – Za’Darius Smith

How in the world did this guy not make the Pro Bowl? I get that there are a few great edge rushers in the NFC, including a long underrated stud himself in Cameron Jordan and a spectacular rookie in Nick Bosa, but Za’Darius Smith might have been the best edge defender in the entire league this year.

The Green Bay Packers made a philosophical change when they moved on from the conservative Ted Thompson after 13 years and handed the reigns to Brian Gutekunst, who has made a bunch of untraditional moves, such as trading away first-round picks and actually being big spender in free agency. His biggest acquisition this offseason has been Za’Darius Smith coming over from Baltimore.

More of a rotational piece for most of his time with the Ravens, Smith put up a career-high 8.5 sacks last year and cashed in with a four-year, 66 million dollar contract. He has already redeemed himself with 13.5 sacks and he is third in the league with 17 tackles for loss. Together with another free agent in Preston Smith, this group of edge rushers looks completely different than a year ago under Mike Pettine.

Za’Darius has been an excellent run-defender for the Pack while being moved around a bunch on passing downs to create havoc. I love his speed-to-power move from a wide nine alignment and then countering that with cross-chops or two-hand swipes. However, as great as he has been individually, he has become a leader for this group and been the guy whose energy everybody is looking to feed off.

Honorable mentions: Jerry Hughes, Harold Landry, and Yannick Ngakoue