Each week, The Nevada Sagebrush will take a look at former Wolf Pack players in the NFL. This week’s edition spotlights one of the most overlooked and underrated positions on the football field: a member of the offensive line.

1. Joel Bitonio (Offensive tackle, Cleveland Browns)

The first-year mauler has been a huge catalyst this season for the Browns’ resurgence. Sunday’s 23-13 victory against the Oakland Raiders was another reason why some in the media are saying Bitonio could make a run at the Associated Press Rookie of the Year award (ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. rated Bitonio as the third-highest performing player from the 2014 NFL Draft class). Even though Cleveland was held to under 40 yards rushing, the Browns’ offensive line kept quarterback Brian Hoyer upright by allowing one sack. Due to this, Hoyer was able to slice up the Raiders’ secondary to the tune of 275 yards and one touchdown.

2. Brandon M. Marshall (Linebacker, Denver Broncos)

This season’s leading tackler for the Broncos racked up 10 total stops against the high-flying Chargers in Denver’s 35-21 triumph. Marshall, along with the rest of the defense, helped to limit San Diego’s rushing attack to 61 total yards and the Broncos’ pass rush was a key factor in hurrying San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers to throw two interceptions. After last Thursday’s game, Marshall has clawed his way back into the top-15 in the NFL in total tackles and has a total of 60 combined stops on the year.

3. Josh Mauga (Linebackers, Kansas City Chiefs)

While Mauga didn’t rack up any of the critical stats (sacks, interceptions, fumbles), he was still second on the team with six combined tackles in the Kansas City’s 34-7 demolition of St. Louis. The 6-foot-1 linebacker didn’t need to play out of his mind (the Chiefs racked up seven sacks), but he was still as sturdy as ever. Mauga is Kansas City’s leading tackler with 47 tackles (the next closest player is 14 stops away), and Kansas City is setting him up to be a big contributor for the home stretch of their season.

Honorable Mention: Rishard Matthews (Wide Receiver, Miami Dolphins)

Matthews was on the receiving end of the final touchdown in the Dolphins’ thrashing of the lowly Jaguars. The third-year pro was the only Miami player with a scoring catch in the contest, as quarterback Ryan Tannehill found Matthews in the end zone for the game-sealing dagger. While the shifty receiver has been quiet this year (five catches, 47 yards and one score) he might start earning more playing time after his performance on Sunday.

Chris Boline can be reached at cboline@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @CDBoline.