Desmond Trufant named Falcons' most underrated player

When you're a cornerback on a team that has had a middling-to-poor defense throughout your pro career, you tend to get overlooked, no matter how good you are. That's certainly the case for Desmond Trufant, who was identified by ESPN Insider's Vincent Verhei as the Falcons' most underrated player.

Verhei notes that Atlanta's opponents threw 567 passes on the Falcons defense last season, and only 21.2 of those passes targeted their No. 1 receiver. If you'll remember, Quinn doesn't always shift Trufant to cover the opponent's top receiver, so some of those targets were going to receivers who weren't being covered by Trufant.

It's also important to note that Trufant is excelling on the back end of a defense that has consistently failed to pressure opposing quarterbacks. There are times that Trufant has to maintain coverage for seven or eight seconds because quarterbacks have all day to throw. If the Falcons can actually generate some pass rush this season, we may see Trufant getting the recognition his play deserves.

Regardless, people are starting to take note of his talent. Trufant earned a spot on the Pro Bowl roster following the 2015 season, and Fox Sports identified him as a top 10 cornerback earlier this week.

Your thoughts on Trufant? Is he the most underrated player on Atlanta's roster?