The most overpaid/underpaid player at every NFL position

One can't really put a price on MVP winners, but MVP recipients still on rookie contracts will automatically land on the underpaid list. Mahomes will count as a little less than $4.5 million against the salary cap in 2019, which ranks him 30th among all quarterbacks. Last season he threw for 5,097 yards (8.8 yards per attempt) with 50 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Last offseason, Cousins made history after receiving a three-year, $84 million deal that was fully guaranteed. In 2019, he will count as $29 million against the cap. The only quarterback with a bigger cap hit is Matthew Stafford. Both could take the most overpaid quarterback superlative, but I gave it to Cousins because he holds a 5-13 record in prime-time games.

Few running backs can do all the things Kamara can. But because he's still on his rookie contract, he will count as just $1.05 million against the cap in 2019. Kamara posted 1,592 yards from scrimmage with 81 receptions and 18 touchdowns last fall.

McCoy has put together a Hall of Fame-type career. He surpassed the 10,000-yard mark last year, and he's posted more than 14,000 yards from scrimmage in 10 seasons. But turning 31 in July, McCoy shouldn't be paid as a top five running back anymore. He will be in 2019, though, as he will count as more than $9 million against the cap, which is the third-highest for any back. Last year he posted a career-low 514 rushing yards and 3.2 yards per carry average.

Steelers wideout Juju Smith-Schuster definitely gave Thomas a run at the most underpaid receiver, but the Saints playmaker again received the nod. Thomas led the league with 125 receptions last year and posted 1,405 receiving yards with nine touchdowns. That led to him making his first All-Pro team. Yet Thomas will count as just $1.6 million against the cap in 2019, which ranks 85th among wide receivers.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old turned in a fine 2018 season as a depth receiver. But he's getting paid like one of the best wideouts in the league. In 2019, Watkins will count as $19 million against the cap, which is second-most for wideouts behind only Mike Evans. Watkins will have to do much better than 40 catches, 519 yards and three touchdowns (those are his 2018 stats) to justify that money.

After a pretty solid rookie season in 2017, Kittle burst onto the scene with 88 receptions, 1,377 receiving yards and five touchdowns last fall. He led all tight ends in yards and was third in catches. Yet Kittle will have the 81st-highest salary cap hit among tight ends in 2019. He's arguably the biggest bargain in the league.

Graham was once the best pass-catching tight end in football, but he's far from that in 2019. Last season he posted 55 catches for 636 yards. While those are at least decent numbers, he also tied a career low with two touchdowns. Coming into the season with the biggest cap hit among all tight ends, Graham is clearly the most overpaid at the position.

The former No. 6 overall pick has yet to make a Pro Bowl. In that sense, he's been a disappointment as a top 10 selection. But still on his rookie deal, Stanley will count as about $6.5 million against the cap in 2019, which is 37th among offensive tackles. Stanley started 15 games in each of the last two seasons, and he's widely considered a top 10 or 15 tackle in the league. That makes him underpaid.

The Raiders wanted to make a splash in free agency, and they did, signing Brown to a four-year, $66 million deal. In 2019 he will count as a $15.25 million cap hit, which is seventh-highest for a tackle. Brown turned into a worthy start for the Super Bowl champion Patriots, but he was less than a $2 million cap hit for New England last year. At more than seven times that price, Brown is the most overpaid tackle in the league.

Nelson signed a big rookie deal, which was worth nearly $24 million over four years. All of that sum was fully guaranteed, and yet he's still the best bargain guard in the league. He started all 16 games last season and made All-Pro as a rookie. His cap hit in 2019 will be the 24th-highest among all guards in the NFL.

The highest-paid guard in the league is not Zack Martin or David DeCastro. Heck, it could even be Nelson, but instead it's Norwell. Thanks to a massive free agent contract signed last March, Norwell will count as a whopping $16 million against the cap in 2019. Norwell made the All-Pro team in 2017, but last year he fell back to the normal level he's played at for most of his career, and thanks to an ankle injury he didn't dress for the final five games.

Kelce has been one of the best centers in the league for several years now. Each of the last two seasons, he made the All-Pro team. Yet he still remains a bargain. The Eagles center will count as about $2.4 million against the cap in 2019. That ranks just 24th among all centers.

Similar to Norwell, Jensen posted a career year in 2017 during a contract season, and he cashed in with a big deal last winter. Now his current team is paying for it. Jensen will count as $10 million against the cap in 2019, which is the fifth-highest mark of any center. The four guards who are higher on the list have combined to make 12 Pro Bowls. Jensen has none.

The Chargers possess the most expensive defensive end in the league, but it's Melvin Ingram and not Bosa. The former 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year will count as a little more than $8.2 million against the cap in 2019, which ranks 24th among defensive ends. Bosa has missed 13 games during his three seasons, but in 35 contests he has 28.5 sacks and 51 quarterback hits.

The Browns may have landed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in a trade with the Giants this offseason, but they also took on Vernon's massive contract. To deal him, New York suffered an $8 million dead cap hit, but the Browns can't release him until next year without taking on even more dead money. Vernon has always been a decent player, and he played well despite technically switching to outside linebacker last year. But he's also dealt with injuries over the last couple of seasons and shouldn't count as one of the three biggest cap hits (he's third at $15.5 million in 2019) at defensive end.

The 24-year-old may be the most underrated player in the league. He received no All-Pro or Pro Bowl recognition for his 15.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and 29 quarterback hits in 2018. He also returned an interception for a touchdown. Without Eric Berry and Justin Houston, the Chiefs will now build their defense around Jones. They can afford to do that since he will count for less than $2 million against the cap in 2019, which ranks 55th among defensive tackles.

McCoy has put together a really great career. But now 31 he probably isn't worth a $13 million cap hit, which is sixth-highest among defensive tackles. Last season was the first in which McCoy didn't make the Pro Bowl since 2011. It sounds as though he will be released if the Buccaneers can't find a trade partner.

The 23-year-old led the league with 163 combined tackles and 111 solos on his way to becoming an All-Pro and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. He also had 7.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and two interceptions. Entering his second season, Leonard is a bargain with approximately a $1.6 million cap hit in 2019.

The Steelers elected to pick up Bud Dupree's fifth-year option. It wasn't necessarily a mistake, but it does mean Dupree is one of the most overpaid defenders in the league. He will count as more than $9 million against the cap in 2019, which ranks ninth-highest among outside linebackers. That's a high price to pay for a guy who has never posted more than 6.0 sacks in a season.

Davis has yet to make the Pro Bowl, but he has started 30 of 32 games to begin his NFL career and posted 138 solo tackles in two seasons. In 2018 he recorded 100 combined tackles with 73 solos, 10 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits and 6.0 sacks. He will count as a little under $3 million against the cap in 2019, which ranks 26th among inside linebackers.

After acquiring Ogletree in a trade last year, the Giants restructured his contract to reduce the cap hit in 2018. They have yet to do that this summer, and if they don't he will be the third-most expensive inside linebacker in the NFL. Ogletree currently holds an $11.75 million cap hit for this season. Last year, he posted 93 combined tackles with 58 solos, six tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and 1.0 sack.

The most expensive cornerback on the Jaguars is actually A.J. Bouye. Because he's still on his rookie deal, Ramsey will count as about $7.4 million against the cap in 2019. That doesn't sound cheap, but it's just the 28th-highest cap hit at cornerback. Ramsey didn't turn in as strong of a season in 2018 as he did in 2017, but he still posted 62 solo tackles, 13 pass defenses and three interceptions last year.

Smith is a decent corner, but over the last five years he's played more than 12 games in a season only once because of injuries. When he's been on the field, his play hasn't lived up to his contract either. At a $15.85 million cap hit in 2019, Smith will be the second-most expensive cornerback in the league. He posted 45 combined tackles with nine pass defenses and two interceptions in 12 games last year.

Darius Leonard may have won 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year, but James certainly deserved votes too. He became one of the best safeties in the league last season, posting 105 combined tackles, 75 solos, four tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, 13 pass defenses and three interceptions on his way to an All-Pro bid. Still on his rookie deal, James will count as about $2.8 million against the cap in 2019. That ranks 41st among safeties.

Admittedly, there aren't too many overpaid safeties in the NFL. So somewhat by default, I went with Randall here. He posted 85 combined tackles, including 72 solos, two tackles for loss, nine pass defenses and four interceptions last season. It was a nice year, but he probably shouldn't be paid more than Earl Thomas, Tyrann Mathieu or Eric Weddle. Randall's cap hit of about $9 million is seventh-highest among safeties.