ProFootballWeekly has compiled their rankings and the Seahawks' Chris Clemons comes in at #1 on their list of the NFL's most underrated players. Clemons, who is currently in a mini-holdout prior to Seahawks' Training Camp as he tries to get a contract extension, is coming off of two straight 11-sack seasons for Seattle, and is an integral part of the defensive scheme they run. However, with the Seahawks' decision to use their first-round pick on Bruce Irvin, Clemons isn't feeling the love he thinks he deserves.
Clemons plays the LEO in Pete Carroll and Gus Bradley's defense, responsible for the weakside defensive end spot. In short, he must rush the passer with enthusiasm but also be there to contain and hold the edge against the run. This is not an easy task, but Clemons has excelled at it the past two seasons once Carroll/Bradley identified him while he was sitting deep on the Eagles depth chart.
Still, the Seahawks were poor at getting to the quarterback in 2011 as a team, and one main reason for this was that they relied almost exclusively on Clemons to get the job done. It would be in the Seahawks' best interest, and they know this, to use two rushers on passing downs, and pairing Clemons with Irvin, to go along with new signee Jason Jones, the Seahawks' pass rush could improve significantly.
See PFW's reasons below as to why they believe he's the NFL's most underrated player.