Every year in the NFL, there are many superstars who play the game like they’re supposed to, and those are the ones that typically earn all the publicity from the mainstream sports media.
Superstar quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes are already considered to be a Hall of Famer after winning two Super Bowl rings, despite only being the Kansas City Chiefs starter since 2018.
Then you have Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, who has been as equally as dominant as Mahomes in the regular season. He isn’t earning his flowers yet because he still has to win a ring for his legacy.
Both men shine on the field every week, but it’s the impact players who go unnoticed that quietly make plays as Matt Milano does.
Milano’s Roots
In an era where some athletes seem to want to become instantly famous by doing uncharacteristic posts on social media just for clout, that is not the type of attention-grabber Milano is at all.
He’s a modern-day, down-to-earth athlete who grew up with a throwback mentality of paying his dues and putting in the hard work to become the person and the player he is today.
While he had a successful career playing LB at Boston College, it still wasn’t enough for scouts and GMs to think of him as a top 5, first-round talent.
That did not stop Milano from wanting to go from the bottom to the top, as some of our favorite Hall of Fame players started from the bottom now they’re here.
After a solid 2016 season, Milano decided to declare for the 2017 NFL draft, and little did he know that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.
2017 NFL Draft
When Milano was busy waiting to hear his name called, he handled all the outside noise very well.
The draft experts from ESPN thought that he would be a later-round draft pick, and they didn’t think he would even start. They predicted he was just going to play special teams.
But for one team, they saw something special in the former BC product, and that was the Buffalo Bills.
Bills GM Brandon Beane – Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
Knowing Brandon Beane, this pick started building him a reputation of finding late-round gems who either end up starting immediately or work their way into the starting lineup and making their presence known on the football field.
At the beginning of the 2017 season, Milano wasn’t really in the lineup for the Buffalo Bills and didn’t play much until the Oakland Raiders game. He then started at LB right after being drafted in the 5th round.
That was the beginning of the birth of a cornerstone player at an important position in which the LB market has been increasing.
What Milano did for the Buffalo Bills this Past Sunday
If last Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins didn’t convince you Milano’s an underrated linebacker, then you must shill for Bradley Chubb because Chubb made zero impact on Miami’s defense.
The Buffalo Bills hard-driving linebacker continued to showcase his speed and athleticism by recording 10 combined tackles, two assists, and one forced fumble against a Miami offense that calls fast plays, with a ton of speed and versatility at the skill positions.
Why is Matt Milano So Underrated?
So, let me get this straight. If the same draft experts who undervalued a powerful linebacker and a class act like Milano, why aren’t those same media pundits praising him now as a potential hall-of-fame linebacker?
Especially after the performance he had last Sunday at home against the Miami Dolphins?
They were supposed to have the greatest offense in the history of the NFL. Having scored 70 points the week before and were 3-0, granted, they played some bad defenses those first three games.
I’ll tell you why: it’s because, for years, national sports writers and announcers liked to pick and choose whoever is currently playing for a dynasty.
The reason for choosing Milano is the Buffalo Bills have been close to winning the Super Bowl the past three years but have failed to win one when it matters.
Bills QB Josh Allen (17) – Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Meanwhile, the Kansas Chiefs, whom the Buffalo Bills have always seemed to beat in the regular season, have eliminated the Buffalo Bills in their two recent playoff matches.
As previously mentioned, Mahomes has two Super Bowl rings, while Allen is hopefully on track to win his first this year.
Let’s see where Milano and the rest of the Buffalo Bill’s defense can take them.
