The most overrated and underrated NFL players, team by team

Each summer I’ve put together a list of the most overrated and most underrated players on each of the league’s 32 teams.

In doing so, I’ve also picked the league’s overall winner ­­– or loser, depending on the category — for each designation.

So who is this year’s most underrated player? I wanted to pick Dallas quarterback Tony Romo (I mean it), but decided against it because the player I did pick has never been to the Pro Bowl, and that’s a shame.

That player is Seattle defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. He doesn’t pile up big numbers, but Mebane is a key to the Seattle defense. His ability to choke off the run allows the Seattle pass rush to be so effective. When it’s third­-and-­long, you can do a lot of different things on defense.

Mebane is a 320-­pounder who also occupies blockers inside to help free up the Seattle linebackers in the run game. One of the most overlooked things about the Seattle defense is the speed of the linebackers. Mebane’s ability to occupy blockers is a big reason why a linebacker like Bobby Wagner can get to so many tackles.