The ‘Madden 17’ Ratings Are Out, And Here Are The Best Players On Each Team

We’re so close to Madden 17, which means we’re oh so close to sweet, sweet football season. Every August (or so), Madden is the appetizer to the NFL’s regular season, and the inaugural revealing of their overall rankings leads to arguments that last from early August all the way through hot fixes, patches and Labor Day. These are good times.

There are a lot of cool changes coming to Madden this year, but one thing that will never change is the divisiveness of the overall rankings. How can NaVorro Bowman not be the top-rated 49er, right? And so, these are the best players on each NFL team in Madden 17. Let the arguments begin.

—AFC—

East

Miami Dolphins: Reshad Jones SS (93) No. 25 overall.

New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski TE (99) No. 3 overall. GRONK! This year’s cover athlete and on this author’s fantasy dynasty team, so he’s going to have the best year ever.

New York Jets: Darrelle Revis CB (91) No. 53 overall.

Buffalo Bills: Richie Incognito LG (90) No. 63 overall.

North

Baltimore Ravens: Yanda Marshal RG (97) No. 9 overall.

Cincinnati Bengals: Geno Atkins DT (94) No. 14 overall.

Cleveland Browns: Joe Thomas LT (97) No. 6 overall. Cleveland. Yeah.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown WR (97) No. 10 overall. Brown is the top-rated receiver. It should be noted that Le’Veon Bell is a 94 and the top-rated RB, but he doesn’t make this list because of rules (He’s also facing a four-game ban to begin the actual NFL season).

South

Houston Texans: J.J. Watt DE (99) No. 4 overall. Who else? He can shift entire defenses from mediocre to elite by his mere presence in the huddle.

Indianapolis Colts: Vontae Davis CB (90) No. 49 overall.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Allen Robinson WR (88) No. 113 overall.

Tennessee Titans: Casey Jurrell RE (93) No. 34 overall. Delanie Walker is the next highest rated player, and a teammate of Jurrell, so we’ll embed his tweet.

West

Denver Broncos: Von Miller (99). Miller is the No. 1 overall player in Madden.

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Kansas City Chiefs: Justin Houston LOLB (97) No. 7 overall.

Oakland Raiders: Khalil Mack LOLB (94) No. 15 overall.

San Diego Chargers: Keenan Allen WR (88) No. 108 overall.

—NFC—

East

Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith LT (97) No. 8 overall. Best offensive lineman in the game. Considering Ezekiel Elliot’s rating, Dallas is going to be a fun team to play as this year.

New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. (93) No. 29 overall.

Philadelphia Eagles: Fletcher Cox DT (93) No. 27 overall.

Washington Redskins: Josh Norman CB (94) No. 16 overall.

North

Chicago Bears: Pernell McPhee LOLB (92) No. 36 overall.

Detroit Lions: Ezekiel Ansah RE (90) No. 71 overall.

Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers QB (96) No. 13 overall. The top-rated player in the NFC North, obviously.

Minnesota Vikings: Harrison Smith FS (94) No. 20 overall.

South

Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones WR (96) No. 12 overall.

Carolina Panthers: Luke Kuechly (99) No. 2 overall. He’s one of four 99 overall players.

New Orleans Saints: Terron Armstead LT (92) No. 44 overall.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy DT (92) No. 37 overall.

West

Arizona Cardinals: Tyrann Mathieu FS (96) No. 11 overall.

L.A. Rams: Aaron Donald DT (98) No. 5 overall. Awesome for fantasy draft franchises.

San Francisco 49ers: Joe Staley LT (89) No. 78 overall. Yes, LT dominance is shown throughout Madden. And yes, Bowman is an 88 overall, so he’s right behind Staley.

Seattle Seahawks: Earl Thomas FS (93) No. 31 overall.

What do you think? Are these the best players on your team, or did the Madden developers get it wrong?