NFL's 10 Most Underpaid Players

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[h=1]NFL's 10 most underpaid players[/h][h=3]Super Bowl champ Russell Wilson tops list of league's biggest bargains[/h]By Nathan Jahnke | Pro Football Focus
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In some ways, NFL front offices have it easy: Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement, a team that finds a good player outside of the first round of the draft gets to keep him at a bargain until the end of his rookie deal.
One way of seeing just how much of a steal teams are getting is by using my Jahnke Valuation Model (JVM), which measures how much money a player should have made based on the quality of his play. It takes into account how well the athlete played compared to other players at the same position, and how much money teams devote to that position. It is based completely on their 2013 performance, so it doesn't take into account previous years, and is not meant to gauge how much they should earn in the future. In general, it is just a tool for measuring how much money a team was overpaying or underpaying for a player for the season.
On Monday, I used the model to see which 10 players were overpaid the most based on their 2013 performance. In this file, I'll use it to identify the 10 most underpaid players.
What follows is a list of 10 players with the largest negative discrepancies in how much they were paid in 2013 compared to how much they should have gotten paid. As such, here is our ranking of the NFL's 10 biggest bargains from 2013:


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1. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
2013 cap hit: $700,000
2013 JVM: $15.5 million
Value differential: $14.8 million
The Seahawks are getting a tremendous deal on Wilson's contract, and as a result they have been able to invest heavily in other areas. Wilson deserves to get paid like one of the top quarterbacks in the league. He doesn't put up a lot of 300-yard passing games, but he was one of the most accurate passers on deep throws in 2013, and posted 922 passing yards on throws of at least 20 yards, which ranked fourth in the league.
For the second straight year, Wilson was among the top five undervalued players in the league (and last year was the second straight season that he ranked as the NFL's most undervalued quarterback). If I had to bet on one player to be the most undervalued in 2014, it would be Wilson.
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2. J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans
2013 cap hit:
$3.1 million
2013 JVM: $17.4 million
Value differential: $14.3 million

Watt was one of 2011's best rookies. A year later, he won the Defensive Player of the Year award while being the league's most undervalued player. He didn't win the DPOY in 2013, despite having an arguably better season than he did in 2012. Watt had 54 stops in the run game in 2013, 18 more than any other defensive linemen and the second most out of all defensive players. He also remained dominant as a pass-rusher with 85 pressures, which ranked second in the league.
Although he made a solid salary in 2013 -- $3.1 million isn't chump change -- Watt is one of the NFL's best players and deserves to be paid like one. Pass-rushers make the second most amount of money behind quarterbacks, so Watt's value is significantly higher than his current paycheck. After picking up a fifth-year option for 2015, the Texans have him for cheap for two more seasons. Watt has shown no signs of slowing down -- or holding out. He should remain one of the league's most undervalued players until he receives a new contract.


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3. Robert Quinn, DE, St. Louis Rams
2013 cap hit: $2.6 million
2013 JVM: $16.5 million
Value differential: $13.9 million
After getting picked three spots after Watt, Quinn had mostly disappointing rookie and sophomore seasons. He picked up a number of sacks but wasn't able to add many pressures, and played below average in the run game. Then, in 2013, Quinn had as dominant a season as any pass-rusher in recent memory, tallying 40 combined sacks and hits. When he was playing against an inferior left tackle he was able to take over games, constantly putting pressure on the quarterback.
Quinn was so good rushing the quarterback in 2013 that it's easy to forget he was also one of the best 4-3 defensive ends against the run. Quinn was the sixth-highest-paid player on the Rams last year, but he deserved to be their top earner. There aren't three defensive linemen in the league who should be getting paid more than Quinn, yet the Rams alone have three defensive linemen making more than him in 2014.


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4. Tyrann Mathieu, S, Arizona Cardinals
2013 cap hit: $500,000
2013 JVM: $14.4 million
Value differential: $13.8 million
Getting a great player in the first round is good enough. But when a team gets an excellent player in the third round, it's a steal.
Mathieu didn't allow a completion of more than 29 yards in 2013, despite being thrown at 66 times. A versatile player who can line up at corner or safety, Mathieu might have been at his best in the slot. Opposing quarterbacks posted a paltry 62.0 passing rating against Mathieu when he played inside, the fourth lowest mark in the league. Mathieu was great all over the field in 2013, racking up the third most pressures for all defensive backs and making plays in the run game. As a rookie, Honey Badger was already one of the league's most complete defensive backs.
Mathieu was one of the five most undervalued players a year ago, but due to ACL and LCL injuries suffered late in 2013, he's unlikely to rank this high again in 2014. Look for him on this list in 2015.


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5. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins
2013 cap hit: $2.9 million
2013 JVM: $15.3 million
Value differential: $12.4 million
In 2012, any conversation about rookie quarterbacks started and ended with Andrew Luck, Wilson and Robert Griffin III. But Tannehill, the league's No. 3 undervalued quarterback that year, quietly had a solid rookie season.
Tannehill never peaked as high in 2013 as some other quarterbacks, but nevertheless performed fairly consistently from week to week. His raw numbers were also hurt by 33 receiver drops and 25 passes thrown away. While other quarterbacks from his class garner more buzz, Tannehill will one day receive his due -- at least in terms of dollars. Tannehill deserves to get paid like an above-average starting QB. But Miami has their QB locked up on the cheap for another two seasons.


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6. Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2013 cap hit: $800,000
2013 JVM: $12.7 million
Value differential: $11.9 million
As a rookie for Tampa Bay in 2012, David was very impressive stopping the run and ranked as the league's second-most undervalued linebacker behind fellow 2012 second-round pick Bobby Wagner. In 2013, David was a candidate for defensive player of the year, doing great work all over the field. He had five interceptions and four passes defended, which are decent numbers for a cornerback, let alone for a linebacker. His 53 stops against the run were 18 more than any other 4-3 outside linebacker, and he was also the most efficient 4-3 outside linebacker in pressuring the quarterback.
The only thing holding David back from being one of the top players on this list is that linebackers don't typically get paid as much as quarterbacks and pass-rushers. In his third season in the league, David will still be making less than $1 million, and so he is a prime candidate to remain the most undervalued non-pass-rusher on defense in 2014.


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7. Justin Houston, LB, Kansas City Chiefs
2013 cap hit: $700,000
2013 JVM: $11.1 million
Value differential: $10.4 million
Houston is another one of the great pass-rushers who came out of the 2011 draft class to make this list. As a rookie, he started slow but finished strong. Then, in 2012, he had a great start but slowed down as the season went on. In 2013, Houston's value diminished; he missed time due to injury but was consistent enough from one week to the next that he deserved a lot more money than he ended up making.
While Houston didn't get a sack or a hit every Sunday, he pressured the quarterback at least twice per game. It also helped that he had two absolutely dominant games, including a four-sack performance against the Eagles and eight stops versus the Broncos. Because Houston was a third-round pick, he has only one year left on his contract. He is already holding out for more money, and so it wouldn't be surprising to see Houston soon get a contract that closely matches his value.


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8. Chris Harris, CB, Denver Broncos
2013 cap hit: $600,000
2013 JVM: $9.6 million
Value differential: $9 million
In 2011, Harris joined the league as an undrafted rookie. By the end of the year, he was the Broncos' best slot corner. A year later, Harris was a full-time starter and the second-most undervalued cornerback in the league.
In 2013, quarterbacks completed just 56.2 percent of their passes against Harris. In eight of his 17 games last year, he allowed fewer than 20 yards receiving. Harris was also one of just four corners to be targeted at least 80 times and allow one or fewer touchdowns in 2013. He's getting a small pay raise after signing his restricted free-agent tender, and should receive an even larger one at the end of the season.


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9. Damon Harrison, DL, New York Jets
2013 cap hit: $500,000
2013 JVM: $9 million
Value differential: $8.5 million
Harrison joined the Jets as an undrafted rookie in 2012 and saw just 22 snaps at nose tackle in his first year. In 2013, he worked himself into the starting lineup and quickly became one of the best nose tackles in the NFL. He ended up finishing the year with 36 stops in the run game, tied with Marcell Dareus for the most of any defensive tackle -- despite being on the field for 68 fewer snaps than Dareus. There were only three games in which Harrison didn't have at least two stops.
Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson get all of the attention on the Jets' defensive line, but Harrison needs to be in the discussion. He is in the last year of a contract that pays him less than $600,000 per year, and should see a big pay day after this season.


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10. Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers
2013 cap hit: $600,000
2013 JVM: $7.9 million
Value differential: $7.3 million
Lacy makes a big impact on a team known for its passing game. He broke 56 tackles last year, the fourth-best mark in the league, and his 11 touchdowns ranked third among running backs.
Lacy also excels in pass protection. Of the 23 running backs who stayed in to block 75 times or more in 2013, Lacy allowed the second fewest pressures, and didn't allow a sack. In 2014, the Packers' long snapper will make more money than Lacy. Green Bay will get to keep Lacy at a very cheap price for the next three seasons.
 

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