Alejandro Villanueva went from an obscure lineman on the Pittsburgh Steelers to one of the most popular players in the NFL after refusing to join his teammates in a protesting the national anthem Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

That popularity has been reflected financially. In the past 24 hours, Villanueva has become the biggest jersey seller in the entire NFL to Darren Rovell of ESPN.

JUST IN: Steelers lineman Alejandro Villanueva is the best selling NFL jersey & T-shirt over the last 24 hours, according to @Fanatics pic.twitter.com/VpN1bG39Hn — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 25, 2017

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Such a rise in jersey sales is practically unheard of for an offensive lineman. Only a select few offensive linemen in the NFL actually sell a significant amount of jerseys, so for Villanueva to leap ahead of every quarterback, running back and wide receiver in the league is simply incredible. The rise has been so remarkable that Rovell also reports that the league is selling both men's and women's merchandise for Villanueva, an extreme rarity among linemen.

Jerseys and T-shirts of Alejandro Villanueva are now available in men's & women's cuts.



First time I've seen that for an offensive lineman pic.twitter.com/EIfozzLdEE — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 25, 2017

The Steelers have had a run of unexpected jersey sales in the recent past. James Conner, a third round rookie, had the league's highest-selling jersey at one point in the offseason. Fans clearly respond to players with courageous stories like Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, and Conner, a cancer survivor.