Windy City Gridiron
The Chicago Bears won the NFC North for the first time in too long last season, and since then, accolades have been pouring in for the players assembled by Ryan Poles. The NFC North in 2025 was one of the only a couple divisions in the Super Bowl era to have every team finish the regular season with a record above .500. From top to bottom, the division is full of talented, hungry teams. While Chicago won the North in 2025, it would not have taken much for things to have turned out differently. It’s important to acknowledge that.
Thus, in the name of honoring worthy opponents, here are the most underrated players on the other teams in the NFC North.
What do I mean by underrated? Well, there are no Pro Bowlers on this list, even though in every case I can find at least one recent season where they should have been considered. They are questioned by the league in general–and maybe even their own fanbase–despite having proven themselves capable of making an impact. Most of them were left off the voting list by the recent ESPN survey of industry insiders–and none of them made the top ten. However, it ultimately comes down to this–these are players who I think make more of a difference in the game than they are credited with.
I’ll admit that I’ve liked McNeil since he was a draft prospect in 2021. This is what I said about him back then: “I have this fear that in a few years I’m going to see him lined up opposite Chicago and he’s going to make the teams that passed on him pay.” Was I right?
Superficially, no. McNeil has never earned a Pro Bowl nod, he’s never had more than five sacks in a season, and he’s never managed double-digit tackles for a loss. In 2024, he was inside of the top twenty for defenders in quarterback hurries, but while “nice”, it’s not indicative of earth-shattering talent.
However, for the last two seasons he has had an average depth of tackle of 1.1 and 1.4 yards. His career hurry percentage is 4.8%. Byron Murphy II is at 2.4 yards and 4.7%, for example; Jalen Carter is at 1.7 and 6.5%. In short, McNeil is not making the flashy plays that impact the stat line and give boxscore scouts a reason to sing his praises, but he is absolutely making reliable stops and getting pressure on the other side. If he stays healthy for all of 2026, I hope the Bears have an answer in mind for him.
Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner have received a lot of attention for their contributions on the Minnesota defense, but at least some praise should be reserved for Erik Wilson. Wilson started his career with the Vikings but bounced around the league a little (including spending time in Green Bay) before landing again in Minnesota for...
