Yanda shines for one of the best lines in NFL

May 27, 2010

From Pete Prisco's "Overrated-underrated: Extending a Branch to a Raider and Jacobs no Giant"

Overrated.

You guessed it. It's time again for my annual list of the NFL's overrated and underrated players.

I've picked one player in each category from each team. And there's a league-wide winner -- or loser, I guess, if you're the overrated player -- from each category.

The league's most underrated player is Oakland Raiders safety Tyvon Branch. Haven't seen him? Many haven't. But he's the real thing.

Here's the rest of the list:

Baltimore Ravens

Overrated: WR Anquan Boldin. He's a good player, but not a great one. The Ravens will find out he isn't a No. 1 receiver. He can't beat corners deep.

Underrated: G Marshal Yanda. On one of the best lines in the NFL, he had the best season in 2009. He is a mauler who keys the run game. It might be Pro Bowl time for him in 2010.