Defensive End Tabbed Jets' 'Most Underrated Player Heading Into 2023'

He doesn't carry the star power of Quinnen Williams or Sauce Gardner, but defensive end John Franklin-Myers has been available and productive for the New York Jets over the past two seasons.

The fifth-year veteran started 33 of Gang Green's last 34 games, totaling 73 tackles and 11.0 sacks over that span. Franklin-Myers has accounted for at least 21 quarterback pressures each of his three years with the Green & White.

Recognizing Franklin-Myers as an important piece on the NFL's fourth-ranked defense, Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr placed the former fourth-round draft pick on the "All-Underrated team." The collection of unsung heroes includes one player from every American Football Conference club.

Representing the Jets' AFC East division rivals, Buffalo Bills' left tackle Dion Dawkins, Miami Dolphins' guard Robert Hunt and New England Patriots' running back Rhamondre Stevenson joined Franklin-Myers on the list.

From "Every AFC Team’s Most Underrated Player Heading Into 2023":

New York Jets

John Franklin-Myers, defensive end 

Despite Robert Saleh’s plan to overload the defensive line, much in the way the 49ers did during his time as defensive coordinator that yielded a trip to the Super Bowl, John Franklin-Myers is going to be hard to kick out of the lineup and pigeonhole into a rotational role. The 26-year-old has been with the Jets for the last three seasons and posted what could be considered his best campaign in 2022, with a career-high 20 quarterback hits. Franklin-Myers plays the run and the pass rush equally well, and, when he was in the lineup last year, the Jets were more than one-third of a yard better against the run on a per-down basis. Franklin-Myers can rush well from multiple positions, and his powerful patience on the edge is a valuable asset against a slew of offenses built to conflict his position. 

— Conor Orr