Shaq Thompson, Donte Jackson Listed Among 'Most Overrated Players'

A couple of Panther defenders aren't thought of as highly by the folks at Bleacher Report.

Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson and linebacker Shaq Thompson were both mentioned in a recent article by Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, tabbing the most overrated players in the NFL.

I've never liked using the term overrated when referencing a player. It's overrated. See what I did there? To me, it's all subjective. Everyone has a different set of expectations for players, some loftier than others. 

If you were to ask me if Donte Jackson and Shaq Thomspon were overrated, I'd emphatically say no. 

Two reasons. 

One, you have to be talked about very highly across the league and be mentioned as one of the top players at the position and fail to live up to those high expectations to warrant the term 'overrated'. Neither Thompson nor Jackson drives that kind of conversation and they never really have. In my time covering the Panthers and even before, I've never heard their names in the same breath as the top eight or ten players at their respective positions.

Two, they both produce. Is it an All-Pro level? No. But they're each quality starters that can make an impact on a game. Jackson has dealt with a few injuries over the past couple of seasons but when he's on the field, he makes a difference. Just look at the end of last season for example. The Panthers lost both he and Jaycee Horn for a period of time and the secondary was a complete mess.

Thompson is the heart and soul of the defense although he may not rack up the stats or receive the recognition as others. He is the leader and really, the glue to keeping everything together.

"Every guy on the defense looks to him first as far as what the next call is, where should we stand, everything," Panthers linebackers coach Peter Hansen said. "His leadership first and foremost has really stood out to me. Just the way he sets the front with his communication. I mean, he's louder than anybody else and is more confident in what he's saying than anybody else. I think that's the first part that we're so excited about and then now that OTAs have started, we can really see some full-speed stuff and within that has been impressive."

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