:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2861035/20120923_jrc_bm1_035.0.jpg)
Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey has proven he was worth the fifteenth overall pick last year, being named a Pro Bowl alternate last year. This year, he has picked up where he left off, becoming one of the top linemen in the league. However, he does not get the recognition from the media that a player of his talents should get.
Pro Football Focus, via ESPN, recently listed their top ten underrated players in the league - and Pouncey made the list.
10. Mike Pouncey, C, Miami DolphinsWhen former Steelers and now Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians came out and said "I think Mike's better than Maurkice," the coach confirmed what ProFootballFocus.com has been saying for some time. While Maurkice is an average player raised beyond that status by the media, Mike has just simply been excellent. Our top-ranked center so far this year, he's allowed only two pressures and given up a single penalty before the officiating crew in Indianapolis got pedantic with false starts.
Of course, Pouncey was a first round pick, and was a Pro Bowl alternate - is that really underrated? PFF discusses that in their introductory paragraph:
Judging a player as "underrated" is a relative exercise. Indeed, some of those listed below are better known than others. One was named as a second team All-Pro last year, and another two were first-round draft picks. Still, their production -- as measured by the metrics and analysis of Pro Football Focus -- should warrant far more recognition. And that is exactly what we hope to provide with our list of the NFL's top 10 most underrated players.
Hopefully Pouncey is able to keep his level of play up among the top centers in the game, and he gets the recognition he deserves. And, on an offensive line that includes a left tackle who has been named to the Pro Bowl every year he has been in the league and is a former first team All Pro, the fact that Pouncey is the top lineman on the team should make people start to notice what a special player the Dolphins have.