It’s that time of the offseason when football outlets love to identify underrated players around the league that the casual NFL fan is probably sleeping on.
These are players that perform better than what their popularity among fans may suggest.
Pro Football Focus recently listed the most underrated player on every NFL roster, and for the Buffalo Bills, they chose wide receiver Khalil Shakir.
Shakir is a representation of what patience and hard work can accomplish. He recorded 772 receiving yards in his first two years combined, and in year three he exploded for 821, which led the team. He also led the team in targets (100) and receptions (76) last year.
He now enters year four and still isn’t a well-known name around the NFL, even after being the top receiving option for MVP Josh Allen and a Bills‘ offense that ranked second in the league in points per game (30.9).
While fans around the league may not think highly of Shakir, the Bills certainly know what they have, which is why they signed him to a four-year contract extension this offseason. The move received high praise, even being called the “best move” of the entire 2025 NFL offseason by ESPN.
The Bills added weapons this offseason like Elijah Moore and Joshua Palmer, and they’ll be getting a healthy Dalton Kincaid back into the mix, but Shakir should be the top guy for Allen again in 2025.
Here is what PFF said about Shakir:
Shakir has been a stable contributor for the Bills’ receiving corps over the past two seasons, and he stepped up significantly in 2024 in Stefon Diggs‘ absence, leading the team in targets (115), receiving yards (995), PFF receiving grade (80.1) and yards per route run (2.20). Shakir placed in the top 25 for the position in all of those categories.
He has also been one of the most effective receivers with the ball in his hands, averaging 7.7 yards after the catch per reception since 2023, which is tied for the sixth-best mark among wide receivers.