Here are the 10 wide receivers with the highest ratings, starting with the Saints star.
Ahead of the August release of Madden NFL 21, we’re spending the week unveiling player ratings and rankings for the league’s best players.
Here are the five players in the 99 club: Michael Thomas, Stephon Gilmore, Aaron Donald, Christian McCaffrey and Patrick Mahomes.
Let’s get into the ratings for the defensive backs, pass-rushers, running backs and quarterbacks in Madden NFL 21, which launches to fans on Aug. 25:
In what has turned into a pass-friendly league, receivers have become dominant players when it comes to high rankings in Madden, often with long stays at or near the top, such as Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins.
There is, though, a new 99 — something all of those players but Jones has achieved — and that’s Michael Thomas. The Saints receiver in a pass-heavy offense was dominant last season and is the latest receiver to potentially challenge Johnson’s NFL-record 1,964 yards. It wouldn’t be surprising to see any of the top-4-rated receivers in Madden chase the record set in 2012 as half of the best receiving seasons in league history have come in the past decade.
1. Michael Thomas, Saints (99 overall): Since 2011, there has been at least one pass-catcher with a 99 rating every year except for Madden ’18. So Thomas joins Hopkins, Brown, Rob Gronkowski, Calvin Johnson and Antonio Gates as pass-catching 99s. It’s a four-point leap for Thomas, who was fifth in the game last season.
2. DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals (98 overall): Hopkins had a stat dip in every area last season, but still produced a 104-catch, 1,165-yard, 7-touchdown season. Now in Arizona and with a potentially potent offense, he could very quickly earn back the 99 rating he had a year ago.
3. Julio Jones, Falcons (97 overall): Somehow Jones has never been a 99 in the game at launch, but for the first time since Madden ’16, Jones won’t start off as a top-2 receiver in the game. Like Hopkins, he could move up fast after building off his sixth straight 1,000-yard season in 2019 (1,394 yards).
4. Tyreek Hill, Chiefs (96 overall): Hill jumps up two rankings spots and ratings point in this year’s game as one of the game’s electrifying players. His numbers were down from a year ago — he missed four games with a clavicle injury — but he’s part of perhaps the most dynamic combination in the NFL with Mahomes.
5. Davante Adams, Packers (94 overall): He was T-9 in the game last year and moves up to fifth while jumping two points as well. Like Hill, he missed four games last season and still almost had 1,000 yards — finishing at 997 — while making his third-straight Pro Bowl.
6. Amari Cooper, Cowboys (93 overall): Cooper jumped from 89 to 93 in the ratings and from T-13 to No. 6. He had the best season of his career last year with 79 catches for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns for his fourth Pro Bowl appearance.
T-7. Stefon Diggs, Vikings (92 overall): Diggs essentially stays the same despite moving from Minnesota to Buffalo, going from No. 8 to T-7 and dropping from a 93 to a 92. Diggs had a career-best 1,130 yards last season, but fewer targets (94), catches (63) and touchdowns (six).
T-7. Mike Evans, Buccaneers (92 overall): Evans goes from T-11 to T-7 this year and bumps up one ratings point after making his third Pro Bowl and having his sixth straight 1,000-yard season. Having Tom Brady as his quarterback could see Evans get a quick jump up if they connect well early in an offense with a bunch of options, including Chris Godwin, Gronkowski and O. J. Howard.
T-9. Odell Beckham Jr., Browns (91 overall): The former Madden cover athlete dipped from fourth to T-9 and from a 96 to a 91 after posting his fewest catches (74), yards (1,035) and touchdowns (four) in a season where he played more than four games. He is a strong bounce-back candidate with a new coach in Kevin Stefanski and the same connection with Baker Mayfield.
T-9. Keenan Allen, Chargers (91 overall): Allen moved down one point from a 92. Allen posted his third-straight 1,000-yard season and made his third consecutive Pro Bowl, but an uncertain quarterback situation could be worth watching for him — both in real life and in Madden.
Dropped out of the top 10 from launch last year: T-2 Antonio Brown; T-6 Adam Thielen.
For the first time since Madden ’15, with Richard Sherman, the secondary has a member of the 99 club. But in showing how little has changed year over year at the position, Sherman remains in the top 10 of defensive backs six years after being a 99.
The rest of the top 10 saw a bit of a shakeup. While the elite remained the elite, the bottom half of the top 10 is almost entirely new from a season ago.
1. Stephon Gilmore, Patriots CB (99 overall): Gilmore moved from tied for third to the No. 1 defensive back and picked up a five-point bump from 94 to 99. He led the NFL in interceptions (six) and passes defensed (20) last season and was named a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.
2. Harrison Smith, Vikings S (95 overall): Smith continues to get better even as he hits his 30s. He moved to No. 2 among defensive backs (he was tied with Gilmore last year) and got a one-point rating increase. He had a career-high three forced fumbles last season, intercepted three passes and posted 80-plus tackles for the third time in four years.
3. Jalen Ramsey, Rams CB (94 overall): Last year’s No. 1 DB, he’s now No. 3 after only one interception and five passes defensed between Jacksonville and Los Angeles. He dropped two ratings points, but if he returns to his 2018 form he could move up again quickly.
Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore gets surprised by his adorable family with gifts to congratulate him for joining the Madden 99 club.
4. Tyrann Mathieu, Chiefs S (93 overall): Tied for 21st last season with an 87, Mathieu made an impressive jump in his first season with the Chiefs. He intercepted four passes, defensed 12 others and had two sacks, with 75 tackles. He also was named a first-team All-Pro for the second time as a defensive leader on the Super Bowl champions.
T-5. Jamal Adams, Jets S (92 overall): Adams, rated a 90 last year, was tied for 10th. Now he’s tied for fifth after earning his first first-team All-Pro nod and second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. He defensed seven passes last season, had 75 tackles and posted one interception, a bright spot on a struggling Jets team.
T-5. Richard Sherman, 49ers CB (92 overall): A 99 more than a half-decade ago, Sherman is still among the elite corners in the game at age 32. He intercepted three passes and defensed 11 others last season, making the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2016. His Madden rating dropped one point, but he remains tied for fifth.
T-5. Devin McCourty, Patriots S (92 overall): The highest-rated free safety in the game, McCourty was an 89 last season. The 32-year-old had five interceptions last season — his best total since 2012 — and defensed seven passes. He has intercepted at least one pass in every season of his career, which started in 2010.
8. Kevin Byard, Titans S (91 overall): An 89 last year and just outside the top 10, Byard moves into it this season after his third consecutive year of strong play, including five interceptions, nine passes defensed and 84 tackles.
