Special: The Super Bowl Underdogs
02/07/2025By: Jeff Yoder
Hey Again —
The big game is just over 48 hours away. You’ve probably heard enough this week about Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley and Travis Kelce. That’s why we put together this extra Friday special edition. There are 100-plus other players in the big game, and many you might not know.
Allow us to introduce The Super Bowl Underdogs. Six short highlights featuring some of the most unsung heroes in the big game.
Letter Rip!
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THE UNDERDOG
The Super Bowl Underdogs
The 5.9 Best Underdog Stories to Root For in Super Bowl 59
With the big game fast approaching, an extra edition seemed worthwhile. Sports’ biggest day of the year is full of pageantry and pop culture takeovers. That’s all fun, but many of the athletes playing in the big game won’t get their flowers during the broadcast. That’s where we come in…
From overlooked to under-appreciated and challenging redemptions, these six players have some of the best story arcs en route to a championship.
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The Rugby Project: Jordan Mailata
Arguably the most lovable player in the NFL is an absolute monster on the field for the Eagles offensive line. Jordan Mailata was a former rugby star in Australia. At 6-foot-9 and 370 pounds, he’s a brick shed. Mailata wasn’t planning to play football, but Philly took a chance on him with a seventh-round flyer in 2018 (Pick No. 233). That Aussie rugby player turned into a superstar at one of the most difficult positions in the NFL — left tackle.
He’s also a fantastic singer. You may have seen him on Season 2 of The Masked Singer (Click here to see the reveal). He helped the Eagles O-line produce a Christmas Album, too. He also has some of the most hilarious mic’d up moments in the NFL, often quoting movies and yelling like a child on the field. The man loves life.
Mailta was the highest-graded offensive lineman in the NFL this season (96.9 grade).
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The Forgotten: DeAndre Hopkins
Far from an underdog in talent, Chiefs WR DeAndre Hopkins has had quite a journey to his first Super Bowl. The former first-round pick by the Texans spent seven seasons in Houston (2013-2020) where the team never made it past the Divisional Round. D-Hop was traded away to the Cardinals in 2020 and again to the Titans in 2022. The Chiefs swung a deal to acquire the sure-handed veteran receiver at the trade deadline in October, and he caught 41 balls for 443 yards and 4 TDs in the second half of the season.
Hopkins has one of the most inspiring rises to the NFL. His father died when he was a child, and his mother Sabrina raised him and his three siblings by herself in South Carolina. The family has an incredible survival story. Sabrina lived through acid burns from an abusive situation in 2002 that left her blind. She later wrote a book called Grant Me Vision: A Journey of Family, Faith and Forgiveness.
D-Hop is the NFL’s top active player in all-time receiving yards (12,965).
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The Doubted: Jalen Hurts
The most recognizable name on this list of underdogs is somehow (still) the most doubted of all. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is barely six feet tall. He doesn’t have breakaway speed like Lamar Jackson. He doesn’t have arm talent like Joe Burrow. He was overlooked at every stop, from losing his starting position at Alabama to Tua Tagovailoa to falling into the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. What Hurts lacks in size and talent, he makes up for in sheer will power and leadership. He’s a freak in the weight room, and all he does is win.
Hurts was the son of a high school football coach in Texas, Averion Hurts. That’s the source of his many motivational pull-quotes and rah-rah speeches, often dubbed “Jalen-isms.” Hurts is 45-17 as a starter over the past four seasons. Only Patrick Mahomes (52-15) has a better record among QBs.
In the NFC Championship Game, Hurts became the NFL’s all-time leader in postseason rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (9).
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The Wrecking Ball: Zack Baun
If you’re looking for the most accurate representation of ‘The Underdog’ spirit, look no further than Eagles LB Zack Baun. He was a third-round pick by the Saints in 2020 where he was primarily a special teams player over four seasons. Now, he returns to New Orleans as a Defensive Player of the Year finalist after just one season in Philadelphia. The Eagles signed him to a 1-year, $3.5 million deal last summer (steal), and he produced an all-pro season with 93 tackles and five forced fumbles. Game-wrecker! He’s one of the key reasons the Eagles’ defense made such a drastic improvement this season.
After five NFL seasons on a low-level rookie contract, Baun is in line to become one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL.
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The Unshakable: Nick Bolton
A lot of Chiefs defensive players have some cool stories, but my favorite is an easy choice. LB Nick Bolton is a walking underdog in the face of adversity. While Mahomes and Kelce always garner the spotlight, it’s Kansas City’s defense that’s helped them win so many close games. That defense has been stellar since Bolton showed up on the scene in 2021. The All-SEC linebacker from Missouri is often overlooked in the conversations about the best LBs in the NFL, but he leads KC’s defense in tackles (106) while doing a little of everything — three sacks, six passes deflected, one interception, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. The anchor of the Chiefs defense is never shaken.
Bolton watched both his sister and mother battle cancer (and win) during the peak of his college and NFL career. He’s unshakable, and that experience with his family’s perseverance helps him keep football in perspective.
Bolton is about to finish his rookie contract, and (like Baun) he should command one of the top linebacker free-agent deals this offseason.
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The Iron Man: Brandon Graham
Mr. Eagle himself. You might not see Brandon Graham play on Sunday, which is why he’s our 0.9 story on the list. He just returned from a torn tricep injury suffered in November, but he’ll be dressed on the sideline for motivational support. At 36 years old, the man known as ‘BG’ is the longest-tenured Eagle. He holds the franchise record for the most games played (206). He’s also third in sacks all-time in franchise history with 77. BG was a first-round pick out of Michigan in 2014, and his most notable moment made him a legend in Eagles lore when he strip-sacked another Michigan man, Tom Brady, to secure Super Bowl 52 in 2017.
Most people expect this to be Graham’s last NFL game before retirement. Even if he’s not 100 percent with that torn tricep, a ring for BG would be a special ending for the Eagles’ iron man.
Enjoy the game!
Super Bowl LIX
Chiefs vs. Eagles (Sunday, 6:30 pm ET, FOX)