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Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus has identified Brian Branch as an under-the-radar talent, essentially correcting a mistake made by his primary outlet.

If you were to select the Detroit Lions’ most underrated or unappreciated player, whatever term you want, quarterback Jared Goff would be the obvious choice, and you would not be incorrect. However, despite the team’s success last season, he is not the only Lions player that is underappreciated by many.

When Pro Football Focus released their ranking of the top-25 players in the NFL under the age of 25 for the 2024 season, five Lions made the cut. There was, however, one major snub, as evidenced by PFF’s own date.

Brian Branch, who played slot corner for the Lions in his rookie season last year, was PFF’s 14th-ranked cornerback with an overall grade of 78.9. His 83.9 run defense grade was sixth-best at the position, while his 77.7 coverage grade was within the top 25. Being a slot corner/safety likely hindered his chances of making the “top-25 under 25” when compared to those who play more glamorous positions.

Pro Football Focus analyst almost retcons Brian Branch’s young players snub.

Working with The 33rd Team on a series examining the most underappreciated players on each team, organized by division, PFF’s Steve Palazollo and Sam Monson took a look at the NFC North.

Monson called Branch the Lions’ most undervalued player. The Branch portion lasts roughly 33 seconds and ends around 1:03 in the video.

“I believe Brian Branch is a completely underestimated player. In college, he was a safety, slot corner, and all-around player for Alabama. I believe that if he ran a faster 40 time, he would be considered a top-10 talent and player entering the NFL. Hit the ground running; the Lions said, “You are our slot corner,” and he goes out there and really dominates in Year 1, just like he did in college. This guy is a superstar player who does not receive the recognition he deserves.

If they didn’t already know based on his performance at a high-profile institution like Alabama, Lions opponents and the rest of the league got a firsthand glimpse at Branch’s talent during his rookie season. The fact that he slid to the second round based on factors unrelated to football was another example of the Lions’ recent draft success.