The football game franchise has had a special place in the hearts of NFL fans, and it dates back several decades. As the game continues to improve in terms of graphical presentation and introduces new and updated features every year, fans have something to look forward to with each new installment of Madden.
Despite all the new and exciting features in this year's iteration of the game, with the recent release, there only seems to be one thing on gamers' minds as they begin their digital football franchises—player ratings. As is the case with every sports game, there is bound to be some heated debate about which players are rated too highly, and which are underrated.
Evan Engram - 83 (Too High)
Tight-ends that feel more like wide-receivers are always going to be popular and rated highly in Madden, especially if they also happen to have the impressive speed of Evan Engram. However, the Giant's TE is rated a little high considering his on-field output over the last few seasons, and it seems like the Madden creators are still holding on to all that potential from his rookie season.
With 654 receiving yards and just one touchdown last season, Engram isn't a bad player, per se, but some of his catching stats seem quite high given his last season.
T.J. Watt - 94 (Too Low)
Although still somewhat in the shadow of his older brother J.J. Watt, the Watt sibling has managed to make a name for himself as one of the best edge-rushers in the NFL. Part of a clinical Steelers defense, Watt has managed to grow from an important role player to the cornerstone of their entire defensive system.
Despite this success, T.J. is still the third-best edge-rusher in the NFL according to Madden 22. This is despite leading the NFL in sacks and tackles for loss in 2020, as well as being runner-up defensive player of the year. Still, he is easily one of the best players in the game and a great linebacker for any Ultimate Team, or any other game mode.
Ezekiel Elliot - 88 (Too High)
After taking the NFL by storm during his rookie season, Elliot's production has slowed steadily every year since. Although coaching changes and injuries and other off-field issues may be part of the problem, Elliot hasn't been a major force in the NFL for a couple of years now.
Compared to some other Running Backs in the game, it's clear that Elliot is rated far too high given his output last season. 10th in Rushing Yards and 19th in rushing touchdowns certainly doesn't deserve such a rating.
John Johnson III - 86 (Too Low)
John Johnson may not be a household name, but that is by no means an indicator of his skill level or the impact he has had on defense with both the Rams and the Browns. Johnson received an impressive 85.4 Grade from Pro Football Focus, making him a top 50 player in the NFL and the number 3 Safety according to PFF.
Despite this, Johnson hasn't even managed to crack the top 10 best safeties in the year's version of the game. Still, with such well-rounded stats, he's still a viable option for any defense.
Stephon Gilmore - 97 (Too High)
During the 2019 season, no one was going to argue that Stephon Gilmore was not one of, if not the very best cornerback in the entire league. However, as was the case with Ezekiel Elliot, Madden seems to have given the patriots player the benefit of the doubt in regards to his fairly poor 2020 campaign.
Of course, this was one of the weakest Patriots rosters we have seen in two decades, but Gilmore was simply not up the level fans would expect from the second-best corner in the game and one of the highest-rated overall players.
Xavien Howard - 91 (Too Low)
If Stephon Gilmore is worthy of a 97 overall, then Dolphine corner Xavien Howard should at least be a few points higher. Although the Miami Dolphins defense was somewhat improved last year, the rest of the team wasn't exactly turning heads.
Despite this, Howard still managed to lead the league in interceptions last year, which one could argue is one of the most important stats for a cornerback in an otherwise hard to judge position. Although his rating was not as egregious as others, Howard definitely deserves more credit.
Rob Gronkowski - 86 (Too High)
It could be fairly easy to make the argument that Rob Gronkowski is the greatest tight end to ever play in the NFL. However, the argument can also be made that he is a mere shadow of his former self after coming out of retirement.
Although his production improved in the second half of the 2020 season, his physical capabilities were nowhere near what they used to be. Gronkowski has had an amazing NFL career, but he certainly lost more than just a step after taking a year off, even if he did manage to win another Super Bowl.
Minkah Fitzpatrick - 89 (Too Low)
Fitzpatrick was a force to be reckoned with when he was playing for the Miami Dolphins, and there was no question that he was a solid safety option for Miami. However, after he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was clear that Fitzpatrick was in serious contention for the title of best Safety in the league.
Breathing new life into an already impressive Steelers defense, Fitzpatrick became a total game-changer and was able to make some big plays in important moments. Still, he managed to be just the 10th highest-rated safety in Madden 22.
Tom Brady - 97 (Too High)
It makes sense that the cover star might have a slightly higher rating than he deserves, but, in the case of Tom Brady, a 97 overall just seems a bit ridiculous at this stage in his career. Rated as the second-highest QB in the game only behind Patrick Mahomes, Brady ranks higher than Russel Wilson, Lamar Jackson, and Aaron Rodgers to name a few.
Brady had plenty of bad throws last year and though many of his stats are impressive, they become a little less impressive when seeing he was only behind Mahomes on pass attempts last year.
A.J. Brown - 86 (Too Low)
After the season A.J. Brown had in 2020, it's almost insulting that he didn't even crack the top 20 wide receivers in the NFL according to Madden. 15.4 yards per reception, 11 touchdowns, and 1,075 receiving yards in 202o apparently weren't enough for A.J. to break into the top 20.
Brown managed all this with a team that isn't even known for throwing the ball and instead prefers Derrick Henry to be the primary offensive force.