4 most underrated Steelers heading into the 2021 season

SS Terrell Edmunds

I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t a fan at all of taking Terrell Edmunds in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. I had a 3rd round grade on him and I thought this was incredibly rich. However, Edmunds outplayed my initial evaluation of him with a very solid performance in 2020.

Though Edmunds was still relatively quiet last season (thanks in large part to another dominant year by fellow safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick), he was still very good. After a sloppy 2019 season that consisted of allowing 4 touchdowns in coverage and a 131.6 passer rating, Edmunds improved in nearly every metric last year. He allowed just 1 touchdown pass in his direction and his passer rating in coverage dropped all the way to 70.8, according to Pro Football Reference.

In addition, Edmunds had a pair of interceptions in the second half of the season (both coming against the Jaguars). It was the first takeaway he had earned since early in his rookie season.

Most fans still think that Edmunds was a weak link in the secondary last year, but I really don’t agree. He greatly improved in 2020 and with more takeaways in 2021, he could really elevate his reputation. He will have a chance to earn a sizeable contract with the team if he continues to improve.

All five of these players are coming off some very solid seasons, but haven’t earned anywhere near the reputation as some of their teammates at the same positions have. If they can take another step up in 2021, they could quickly earn some national recognition.