NFL’s All-Underrated Team: 8 defensive players surprising us halfway through the 2024 season

Every week, SB Nation wants to reveal the names and games of NFL players who have outperformed their name recognition in our “Secret Superstars” articles.

Now that we're closer to the halfway point of this 17-game season than ever before, let's expand our horizons a bit and focus on the players who outperformed public perception during the first half of the 2024 season. The first half started with a secret superstar offensive line, but they were underrated defensively.

Zach Allen, DI, Denver Broncos

Allen, who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Boston College, was already a force before moving to Mike High City. His six sacks and 35 total pressures in 2022 proved that. However, once Allen signed a three-year, $45.75 million contract with $32.5 million guaranteed, the altitude of his play certainly rose. In his first season with the Broncos, Allen recorded seven sacks and 60 total pressures as he was a pain in the butt with multiple gaps, but he's looking for more in 2024.

In just 339 pass rushes this season, Allen recorded six sacks and 44 total pressures. This second number is tops among all inside defensive linemen. At 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, Allen is the perfect tweener with enough power and technique to break up double teams and enough speed and explosiveness to break up any blocking concept. He is now arguably one of the best domestic disruptors.

Keion White, DL, New England Patriots

White was a bit of a project when he came out of Georgia Tech in the 2023 draft. White, now 6'5, 293 pounds, was a former tight end at Old Dominion, but he opted out of the 2020 NCAA season due to COVID-19, suffered a broken ankle and missed his first year at Georgia Tech. We lost most of the season (2021). In his final collegiate season in 2022, he finally showed off his dominance with seven sacks and 41 total pressures.

The Patriots selected White in the second round of the 2023 draft, hoping he would combine technical tools to match his natural speed and strength. It happened in his second NFL season. White has five sacks and 30 pressures this season, and the NFL needs defenders who can generate quick pressures. White wore it all season.

Koby Turner, DI, Los Angeles Rams

Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans won Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2023 season, but as an AP voter, I was happy to vote for Rams defensive tackle Coby Turner. The third-round pick from Wake Forest did his best to compensate for the retirement of Aaron Donald, recording 12 total sacks and 50 total pressures as a rookie in his first year.

Turner already has four sacks and 30 pressures in his second year, so it doesn't look like he's going to be a one-year wonder. Turner isn't just an intelligence player who can win inside the guard. From tackles to edges, he's gotten significant reps anywhere from the nose this season, and opposing quarterbacks are likely to be in trouble no matter where he comes from.

Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Minnesota Vikings

When the Vikings lost superstar pass rusher Daniel Hunter to the Houston Texans in free agency this offseason, they signed former Miami Dolphins jack-of-all-trades Andrew Vann and replaced Brian Flores' ferocious Doubled the reinforcement of the multi-purpose defense. Ginkel and former Texans edge demon Jonathan Greenard – 2020 third-round pick out of Florida State, had some pressure with 14 sacks and 53 total, but didn’t get much attention in 2023 .

Adding Greenard to Flores' plans is a big deal so far. He already has seven sacks and 48 total pressures through eight games in 2024. Greenard's 49 quarterback interferences are tops among all defensive players this season, and his seven sacks are third-most among edge defenders.

Greenard has already proven that he doesn't need an evil genius coordinator like Flores to play his best. These fronts only make him more dangerous. Hunter, on the other hand, recorded six sacks and 39 pressures for the Texans, which seems to be one of the things that worked out for everyone involved.

Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, New York Giants

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Ojulari was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2021 draft, and his 10-sack, 42-pressure rookie season seemed to indicate a very bright future. But injuries stunted his development over the next two seasons, and by the start of 2024, Ojulari was an afterthought in a Giants defense that featured Kayvon Thibodeau and Brian Barnes.

That might have been the case had Thibodeau injured his wrist in Week 5 and a healthy Ojulari not returned to the field full-time. He made the most of it, recording seven sacks and 21 total pressures with minimal pass rushing numbers.

There was speculation that Ojulari would be traded for Thibodeau, who has improved, but the team decided to keep the fourth-year player. This is one reason why while the Giants' offense resembles a dumpster fire, their defense (particularly the pass rush) is the real deal.

Jalen McCollough, DB, Los Angeles Rams

Now that we've given Coby Turner what he deserves, it's probably time to talk more about the rookie the Rams are putting on the defensive side of the field. 1st-round edge rusher Jared Verse, 2nd-round defensive tackle Braden Fisk, 3rd-round defensive back (who had two interceptions and a 103-yard pick-six last Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks, (Defensive Player of the Year) Kamren Kinchens, sixth-round defensive tackle Tyler Davis…defensive coordinator Chris Shula has all kinds of freshman studs in play.

Perhaps the most impressive and unlikely of those players wasn't even drafted. Tennessee alum Jalen McCollough, who was unloved during the selection process despite missing three passes and allowing opponents a 63.1 passer rating in the 2023 season, has significantly improved at the NFL level. I let it happen. McCollough, who plays everywhere from the box to the slot to deep third, has been targeted four times this season and has also recorded four interceptions. He hasn't allowed a single catch this season.

Not bad for a player that other NFL teams whiffed on so many times.

“Yeah, he's one of those players,” Sean McVay told me about McCollough after the Seahawks game. “Certain players have always been in the right position and made those plays. Good instincts, good awareness, you know what he's doing today for a guy who has a lot of positional flex for us. Maybe he's talking about what he did in a previous match, but his eyes just look like that. I asked him about that in training camp, but he's a grown man. I'm really happy for Tank. He did a great job today.”

Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph, safeties, Detroit Lions

Over the past six games (all wins), the Lions have accomplished something never seen before in pro football history. During this time, there were more touchdowns (27) than incompletions (24). Jared Goff is cooking like a superstar, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson may get a head coaching opportunity this coming offseason.

But the 7-1 Lions are considered perhaps the NFL's most logical Super Bowl contender, and not just on offense, especially with the acquisition of pass rusher Za'Darius Smith. Aaron Glenn's team actually starts in the secondary and works its way up the front. The two main instigators are safeties Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph.

Joseph is a master of deep-third coverage and Branch is someone who can do it from anywhere, but neither is tied to a specific role. And they helped allow Glenn to play more offensive coverage that he wanted. In man coverage this season, Detroit allowed a league-best 67 completions on 136 attempts for 867 yards, four touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 64.2. Overall, Branch allowed an opponent passer rating of 37.5 and Branch allowed an opponent passer rating of 31.6. Plus, Joseph has six interceptions and Branch has four, so you can see where all those picks are coming from.

Yes, if the Lions win the Super Bowl, it's not just because of their great offense. Aaron Glenn has some major secret superstars on his side of the ball.