Pete Prisco Names the Bengals' Most Over and Underrated Players

Every team has them: players that get a lot of hype even though they don't deserve it and players that do their job and do it well but always seem to fly under the radar.

CBSSports.com senior writer Pete Prisco knows an overrated and underrated player when he sees them. He went through every team in the NFL and picked two players from each that he believes is overhyped or is flying under the radar.

For the Bengals it was outside linebacker Keith Rivers and left tackle Andrew Whitworth.

Overrated: LB Keith Rivers. When you watch the Bengals play, you just expect more from a top-10 pick. Rivers is solid. But that's not why you draft a guy in the top 10. He was second on the team in tackles, but he disappears at times.

Underrated: T Andrew Whitworth. At times, he is a force. He is big, strong and can dominate in the run game. He has some issues with speed rushers, but played well in 2010.

It's kind of hard to argue with Prisco on this one. Rivers, being a top-10 pick from the 2008 NFL Draft has been a constant starter on the defense but has never really done anything huge. By now, one would think that he'd be controlling his side of the field, but he's just kind of there. He makes some plays and he's finished in the top five in tackles on the team over the last two seasons, even finishing the 2010 season with the second most tackles behind Dhani Jones. But, even though he seems to be getting better, he has never really wowed me.

Andrew Whitworth is a different story, though.

Since making the move to left tackle, Whitworth has come into his own, not only as an offensive lineman but as a team leader. He's extremely efficient in the running game and always improving in the passing game. He's also just about the perfect guy to help young offensive linemen like Clint Boling transition to the NFL. For all he does, he just doesn't seem to get the recognition that he deserves, even missing out on ESPN's top-10 offensive tackles list, which Josh called Irresponsible, Embarrassing and Fraudulent.

And just in cast you're interested in who Prisco believes is the most overrated player in the NFL..... it's Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

If that doesn't make your day, I don't know what will.