Super deserving: A player from each NFC team who merits a SB appearance

The reality is that most NFL players will never play in a Super Bowl. But if you could wave a magic wand and put one deserving player from each NFC team in the epic yearly showdown, who would it be?

Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox), Yardbarker NFL writers did just that.

NFC East

DALLAS COWBOYS | Guard Zack Martin | Since joining the Cowboys as a first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2014 NFL Draft, Martin has been named All-Pro nine times (seven first-team). The 34-year-old guard said retirement was “definitely in the realm of possibilities” last summer, but Dallas fans would love to see him take another run at the Super Bowl after ending the 2024 season on IR with an ankle injury.

NEW YORK GIANTS | DT Dexter Lawrence II | Lawrence also ended the 2024 season on IR (elbow), but that didn’t stop him from becoming the team’s first defensive lineman to make three straight Pro Bowls since Hall of Famer Michael Strahan. The three-time captain led New York with a career-high nine sacks this season despite missing the team’s last five games. He showed faith in the Giants by signing a four-year, $87.5M contract extension last offseason.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | RB Saquon Barkley | Barkley needed just 101 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s season rushing record of 2,105 yards, but he put the team first by sitting out the regular- season finale against the Giants, who let him go after the 2023 season. With a career-high 2,005 yards rushing on a career-high 345 carries in 2024, Barkley owes the Eagles nothing, but his teammates owe him a victory in Super Bowl LIX and another Super Bowl appearance or two down the road.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | Punter Tress Way | An 11-year veteran and longest-tenured member of the Commanders, Way has been part of a lot of bad football teams. But he only has missed one game while suffering through eight losing seasons with Washington and managed to make the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2022. — Bruce Ewing

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS | RB James Conner | Conner has overcome several obstacles in his career dating to college, including cancer and major knee injuries. He has pieced together an outstanding career that keeps getting better with every year. A Super Bowl appearance would be a career capper for the 29-year-old.

LOS ANGELES RAMS | RB Kyren Williams | A good portion of the roster already has a Super Bowl ring from the 2021 season, but Williams is not one of them. In his first three years in the league, he has become one of the league’s best all-around backs after being an afterthought (as a fifth-round pick) when he entered the NFL.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | OT Trent Williams | Williams, one of the NFL’s best offensive lineman for more than a decade, has played in a Super Bowl but lost. Make it happen, Niners. 

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | QB Geno Smith | Smith’s career has seen him go from second-round bust, to journeyman backup to above-average starter in Seattle. He has worked his way up from the bottom and helped the Seahawks remain competitive in the post-Russell Wilson era. A SB appearance and a championship would be the ultimate validation for him. — Adam Gretz

NFC North

CHICAGO BEARS | WR Keenan Allen | Allen has been one of the best and more consistent wide receivers in the NFL since he joined the league in 2013, but he’s never even played in a conference championship game. As an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Allen should focus on joining a legitimate Super Bowl contender for the first time in his career.

DETROIT LIONS | OT Taylor Decker | Decker deserves a ton of credit for sticking through the dreadful Matt Patricia head-coaching era and not giving up on one of the most cursed franchises in the NFL. The Lions went a combined 17-46-1 from 2018-21, but Decker didn’t give up on the organization and is coming up on his 10th year in Detroit.

GREEN BAY PACKERS | DT Kenny Clark | The Packers are a young team with a bright future, but most of their players haven’t put in enough time to grab this spot. As the longest-tenured member of the Packers (nine years), Clark deserves to see his loyalty rewarded with a Super Bowl appearance.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS | WR Justin Jefferson | Jefferson is on pace to finish his career as the greatest statistical wide receiver in NFL history, as his 7,432 receiving yards are the most through five seasons in league history. It would be a crime if he never gets to play in a Super Bowl. — Jack Dougherty

NFC South

ATLANTA FALCONS | Safety Jessie Bates III | The 2023 Pro Bowl safety came close to winning a Super Bowl in February 2022 with the Bengals, losing on a last-minute touchdown pass from Rams QB Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Cooper Kupp. He has been Atlanta’s best player since arriving in 2023 and deserves to be rewarded for his efforts with a Super Bowl appearance and a ring.

CAROLINA PANTHERS | WR Adam Thielen | Thielen has been Panthers QB Bryce Young’s most dependable target since 2023. The veteran wideout was part of several Vikings playoff teams, including in 2017 when they reached the NFC Championship Game, but he never achieved the ultimate glory.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | DE Cameron Jordan | Since being drafted in 2011, Jordan has been one of the league’s more productive defensive ends. He has made the playoffs six times with the Saints but has never hoisted a Lombardi Trophy. Instead, he suffered through excruciating playoff losses to the 49ers (2011), Vikings (2017, 2019), Rams (2018) and Buccaneers (2020).

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | QB Baker Mayfield | Mayfield is one of the few significant Bucs contributors not on their 2020 Super Bowl roster. He’s coming off his two best seasons (both in Tampa), establishing himself as a franchise QB after bouncing from three teams from 2022 to 2023 (Browns, Panthers, Rams). — Eric Smithling