Super deserving: A player from each AFC team who merits a SB appearance

The reality is that most NFL players will never play in a Super Bowl. But if you could wave a magic wand and put one deserving player from each AFC team in the epic yearly showdown, who would it be?

Ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox), Yardbarker NFL writers did just that.

AFC East

BUFFALO BILLS | QB Josh Allen | Much like John Elway and Peyton Manning before him, Allen will be known as a QB who "can’t win the big one" until he plays in a Super Bowl and hoists the Lombardi Trophy afterward. The 28-year-old QB has finished as a top-10 passer in four of seven NFL seasons, but until he improves on his 0-4 playoff record against the Chiefs (7-2 against all other teams), Allen will never get the credit he deserves.

MIAMI DOLPHINS | RB Raheem Mostert | Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dolphins in 2015, he has 2,181 yards since rejoining the team in 2022, with a league-high 18 touchdowns in 2023. He took a back seat to teammate De’Von Achane with just 85 carries in 2024, but at 32, Mostert deserves to have his patience rewarded.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | Safety Brenden Schooler | Schooler joined the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has played in 84 percent of the team’s special-teams snaps since. The 27-year-old safety was the only Patriots player voted to this season's Pro Bowl and made the NFLPA's Players' All-Pro Team for the second straight year, no small feat for a relatively unheralded player from a 4-13 team.

NEW YORK JETS | LB Quincy Williams | Ranked as the 32nd-best player in NFL.com’s Top 100 Players of 2024, Williams started his career as a third-round pick of the Jaguars in 2019 but was released in 2021 after making just 59 tackles with no sacks in 18 games. With the Jets, who picked him up on waivers, he has nine sacks, 10 forced fumbles, four 100-tackle seasons and one All-Pro campaign (2023). — Bruce Ewing

AFC West

DENVER BRONCOS | WR Courtland Sutton | Although Sutton has only made the playoffs once in seven seasons with Denver, the WR said, "This is the place where I want to be able to retire." A Super Bowl appearance and a win would be the perfect way for the Broncos to reward the former Pro Bowler for his loyalty.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | WR DeAndre Hopkins | Hopkins — who has made five Pro Bowls in 12 seasons with the Texans, Cardinals, Titans and Chiefs — will play in his first Super Bowl against the Eagles on Sunday. In his Monday news conference, the WR said he would give up his accolades to win a championship. If he sticks around with K.C. and Patrick Mahomes, more SBs should be in his future.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | Edge-rusher Maxx Crosby | In six seasons with the Raiders, Crosby has had more head coaches (four, excluding new coach Pete Carroll) than playoff wins (zero). In a recent interview with "Good Morning Football," the four-time Pro Bowler indicated he’s tired of the dysfunction, saying, "I want the chance to actually win and be in [playoff] games."

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | QB Justin Herbert | In five seasons with L.A., the 26-year-old has the fourth-most passing yards (21,093) and fourth-most TD passes (137) in franchise history. Until Herbert plays in (and wins) his first Super Bowl, he may have a similar career to former Chargers QBs Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers, who never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. — Clark Dalton

AFC North

BALTIMORE RAVENS | RB Derrick Henry | Henry has five Pro Bowls, an Offensive Player of the Year Award and four 1,500-yard-plus rushing seasons during his prolific career. A Super Bowl appearance is the only unchecked box for the future Hall of Famer.

CINCINNATI BENGALS | QB Joe Burrow | Burrow led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) this season, but the Bengals couldn’t even crack the playoffs because of their 25th-ranked scoring defense. Tom Brady is the only QB not named Burrow who’s taken down Mahomes in the playoffs. He richly deserves his second SB appearance.

CLEVELAND BROWNS | Guard Joel Bitonio | It’s not easy to stay faithful to this organization, as Bitonio has admirably for 11 seasons, but he has only two playoff appearances to show for his loyalty. The seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro deserves to play meaningful football in January and February.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS | DE T.J. Watt | Watt is a seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro and three-time NFL sack leader, but he has never even played in a conference championship game. The Steelers must upgrade their stale offense to give Watt, a future Hall of Famer, the chance to win a Super Bowl ring. — Jack Dougherty

AFC South

HOUSTON TEXANS | WR Tank Dell | The 2023 third-round pick’s first two NFL seasons have been curtailed by injuries, including a torn ACL and dislocated knee cap in Week 16 in 2024 and a broken leg in Week 13 in 2023. It’s an unfortunate start for a player brimming with talent, but a Super Bowl could ease the pain.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | Guard Quenton Nelson | The No. 6 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons, and he was a first-time All-Pro member during his first three years (2018-20). Nelson has experienced QB Andrew Luck’s shocking 2019 retirement and a rotation of QBs Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan in subsequent seasons, but he has never played in a Super Bowl.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | WR Brian Thomas Jr. | Thomas had the best season of any player in a loaded 2024 rookie wide receiver class, finishing with 87 receptions, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the draft, he was overlooked in favor of Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. and his LSU teammate, Malik Nabers. Thomas would undoubtedly stand out in a Super Bowl.

TENNESSEE TITANS | DL Jeffery Simmons | Simmons, who recently finished his sixth season in the league, received a Pro Bowl nod for the third time in 2024. The Titans were the AFC’s top seed in 2021, Simmons’ third NFL season, but he hasn’t been in the playoffs since. — Eric Smithling