When it comes to success in the NFL, superstars may dominate the conversation, but more often than not, it’s the guys you don’t know who make the plays needed. when is They are needed. Such players can be rated low for all reasons. Perhaps they play in a small market, and the media is not properly reporting their exploits. Maybe they’re hidden deep in the chart behind big names that might not do that much. Or, maybe a coach never knew that someone needed height to get the best results for the team.
Whatever the reason, we at SB Nation always love to bring you the most underrated names. Offseason hidden gems and the then-Secret Superstars series. You can also find AFC and NFC Secret Superstars from Week 1.
With all that said, here are our NFC Secret Superstars for the 2026 regular season. And if you haven’t already, Download the new SB Nation appSo you can better read our stuff wherever you are!
Drew Lock, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Over the past few years, the Seattle Seahawks have capitalized on the quarterback market like no other NFL team. They brought Geno Smith back from the brink in 2022-2024, and Sam Darnold in 2024 was able to capitalize on the professional rebirth he experienced last season with the Minnesota Vikings with a true franchise quarterback designation and a Super Bowl ring.
Could Drew Lock be next in line?
Selected by the Denver Broncos with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2019 draft, Locke was one of several big moves the Broncos made at the quarterback position between Peyton Manning and Bo Nick, and he was one of the pieces in the March 8, 2022 Russell Wilson trade. It worked out better for the Seattle Broncos than it should have..
Locke in He served as Smith’s backup to Little Fame in 2022 and 2023, served as quarterback behind Daniel Jones of the New York Giants in 2024, and headed to Seattle in 2025 for a two-year, $5 million contract with $2.25 million guaranteed. He completed just two passes on three attempts for 15 yards in Seattle’s Super Bowl season, but it was up to Locke to show Darnold what he had learned in five games against the New England Patriots in the new season.
In the Seahawks’ 13-10 opening win over the Patriots and a more convincing 31-7 Week 2 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Locke completed 35 of 48 passes for 422 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 127.3 passer rating. That’s the NFL’s highest passer rating among quarterbacks who take at least 20% of their team’s snaps, and Lock’s EPA/Pass of 0.43 is the NFL’s fourth-highest behind Jackson Dart, Brock Purdy and Josh Allen.
Perhaps most importantly, Locke appears to be in full command of an NFL offense for the first time in his career. The revelation of what he saw and did in Jackson Smith-Njigba’s second three touchdowns against the Cardinals told the story there.
We did the move, pushing a guy wide to the right, they were showing me a ‘shell (double-top cover), which was unfortunate because I wanted to go the way I started. I put my foot up, both safeties started going down, eventually bringing (Cover-0) a couple ‘poppers’ (flash), and obviously I had done my job. Enough to block (guys) but when they popped up, it became my job to stay away from those poppers.
They gave us the look I was personally looking for and it worked.
That’s a lot to do in two seconds.
The good news for the Seahawks is that Darnold is expected to return late. The best news is that Drew Lock has proven he can be an NFL-caliber starting quarterback. How that affects his future remains to be seen, but it’s a big upgrade on what to expect when he enters Seattle’s lineup.
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Apparently, Davante Adams is no secret to any responsible football fan. In his prime with the Packers and Raiders from 2020-2022, Adams was probably the best receiver on the planet, or even on the very short list. But as a person gets older, his responsibilities change. In Sean McVay’s Rams offense last season, Adams was primarily a red-zone hitter, and a very good one at that — not including 15 touchdowns on 71 catches. But did anyone expect the 33-year-old Adams to go as far as he did Monday night against the New York Giants?
Probably not. In that 28-6 Rams win, Adams caught eight passes on 10 targets for 195 yards and two touchdowns — completely shredding the Giants’ secondary, and that wasn’t under the red zone stuff. With Pukka Nacua sidelined with a hip injury, one can expect McVeigh to field his usual 13 personnel and make explosive passing plays. Yes, the Rams, being the Rams, went 53.3% with 13 personnel, but it was Adams who was the power multiplier here – all over the field.
For at least one game, that was longtime Hall of Famer Davante Adams.
“For me, he’s a wide receiver at No. 1,” McVay said when asked if Adams has performed what they expect from a WR1. He is not two. He was special and it showed all night. It’s something he’s done consistently, and I’m very happy for him. I thought he made some great plays, but you can see that he and Matthew have a lot of confidence. They’ve been able to get a lot of work together this season, and it’s only going to continue to build. I was really happy for him.
“It’s a testament to how he takes care of himself and has done that for so long,” Stafford said of WR1. “He’s a great player. He made all kinds of plays today, he made contested plays. He ran good routes and got open. He did everything for us. He’s a guy who can do that, we understand that. We know it. I leaned on him tonight, and he came through for us.
Does Davante Adams still have this level of play in his repertoire all season long? That Rams offense could be something more than usual.
Devin Lloyd, LB, Carolina Panthers
Imagine you are Bobby Okereke, a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers. In his team’s 34-3 rout of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, he had six solo tackles, three stops and a quarterback hit. Also in coverage, he had four catches on six targets for 25 yards, 13 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception and an opponent passer rating of 35.4.
And There is no one. It’s worth talking about, because your linebacker position is making history everywhere. That payment will come from 2022 first-round pick Devin Lloyd of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who signed a $45 million contract this offseason with $30 million guaranteed. Very good numbers, but after a game like this, they caught Lloyd NFL’s 10th highest paid linebacker by AAV It always seems like a bargain.
Because Lloyd played the unholy combination of Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner in this game. He had seven solo tackles, five interceptions, two tackles for loss and one sack. And in the cover? Oh boy. Lloyd allowed 37 yards on six targets, 27 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, one pick-six, three pass breakups and an opponent passer rating of 29.9 on three targets.
In NFL Research, Lloyd joins Charles Woodson (2009) and Zach Brown (2012) as the only players in the past 20 seasons with the most sacks, interceptions and sacks in a single game.
“In my 17 years of coaching in the NFL, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better performance from a linebacker,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said postgame of Lloyd’s efforts. “That’s because of the study and being in the right spot — I didn’t realize his hands were that good. The slant he picked up at the end was amazing, and the run after the first catch. One of the best performances by a linebacker I’ve ever seen.”
Bryce Young was right there with him.
“That was special,” the Panthers quarterback said of his new teammate. “It’s great to see a guy like that work so hard. He’s a big part of the team. He’s a leader. He does all the little things that people don’t see. And it’s great to see him come out with a performance like that. I don’t know if I’m a part of that cool thing. Maybe two things. But it’s great to see.
It was, if you’re interested in the Panthers. Are you interested in the Falcons? Well, add it to your list of things to try and forget..
