Tennessee Titans: S Kevin Byard
Those in the know probably wouldn’t consider Byard underrated — after all, if you crunch advanced metrics or watch tape, it’s clear that he’s one of the best safeties in the NFL. But how do you explain that the guy with more interceptions than any other player over the last three seasons — 17 to the 13 put up by Marcus Peters and Darius Slay — hasn’t made the Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team since 2017, the year he led the league in picks with eight? It’s not that Byard has been a one-year wonder, either. He had four picks in 2018, five more in 2019, and he’s responsible for locking down the deep third of Tennessee’s defense. No matter when schemes you’re running, that’s one of the toughest jobs in football.
Byard has done this estimably throughout his career. He’s allowed an opponent passer rating of 69.9 through his four-year career, and while he did allow an 83.9 passer rating in the 2019 season, he did so in a scheme that often required him to move around the field and nail down several different responsibilities. This deflection of a Philip Rivers pass to tight end Hunter Henry in Tennessee’s 23-20 Week 7 win over the Chargers is a perfect example, as Byard moves through the route in a way that would make any cornerback proud. Tom Brady will have to have his eyes on Byard every play.
