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.
OVR Rating: 99#GronkSpike Rating: 💯@RobGronkowski is the top TE in #Madden17! https://t.co/lNeetuHWP6 @Patriots pic.twitter.com/AZKLMvbXmu
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 27, 2016
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.
94 OVR @GenoSacks is the 2nd highest-rated DT in #Madden17.
Full ratings: https://t.co/nhMJpJnZ4h @Bengals pic.twitter.com/HzBav1gm48
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 25, 2016
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).
Just hit the 🆎 button.
97 OVR @AntonioBrown84 is the top-rated WR in #Madden17! https://t.co/gv3elxzdbU #BOOMIN pic.twitter.com/N7IwPAujkc
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 24, 2016
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.
Unblockable.
99 OVR @JJWatt is the top-rated DE in #Madden17. https://t.co/QRVZVACZTN @HoustonTexans pic.twitter.com/agNo2CHcN4
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 28, 2016
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.
93 OVR @delaniewalker82 is tied for 2nd highest-rated TE in #Madden17.
TE Ratings: https://t.co/lNeetuHWP6 @Titans pic.twitter.com/udsOk0sw7R
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 26, 2016
West
Denver Broncos: Von Miller (99). Miller is the No. 1 overall player in Madden.
Welcome to the 99 Club, @Millerlite40.
The #SB50 MVP is the top-rated LB in #Madden17. https://t.co/SV1vBPLPGG pic.twitter.com/9O532TlyEZ
— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) July 30, 2016
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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.
99 SPC
Check out @OBJ_3's full ratings: https://t.co/gv3elxzdbU #Madden17 pic.twitter.com/T1sPpGhtYn
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 24, 2016
Philadelphia Eagles: Fletcher Cox DT (93) No. 27 overall.
Washington Redskins: Josh Norman CB (94) No. 16 overall.
J-No Fly Zone
94 OVR @J_No24 is the top-rated CB in #Madden17!
Full Ratings: https://t.co/aVxcLoZSKP @Redskins pic.twitter.com/1pnoTkNQcx
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 29, 2016
North
Chicago Bears: Pernell McPhee LOLB (92) No. 36 overall.
92 OVR @PernellMcPhee is the 4th highest-rated OLB in #Madden17
OLB Ratings: https://t.co/SV1vBPLPGG @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/6xIou6Wr2N
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 29, 2016
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.
96 OVR @AaronRodgers12 is the top-rated QB in #Madden17@packers 🧀 https://t.co/lwvNnLWjU2 pic.twitter.com/Ppx8UYPFU2
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 21, 2016
Minnesota Vikings: Harrison Smith FS (94) No. 20 overall.
South
Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones WR (96) No. 12 overall.
96 OVR @juliojones_11 is the 2nd highest-rated WR in #Madden17
WR Ratings: https://t.co/gv3elxzdbU @AtlantaFalcons pic.twitter.com/cI5fHG6SST
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 23, 2016
Carolina Panthers: Luke Kuechly (99) No. 2 overall. He’s one of four 99 overall players.
LUUUUUUKE
99 Intensity
99 OVR? @LukeKuechly @Panthers https://t.co/AwsLPRiS6k #Madden17 pic.twitter.com/8yWqzKjrSD
— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) July 31, 2016
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.
96 OVR makes @Mathieu_Era not only the top FS in #Madden17, but the top DB in the game. https://t.co/rNqLT3ECD7 pic.twitter.com/Vsy940ziEi
— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) August 2, 2016
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.
93 OVR @Earl_Thomas is tied for the 3rd highest-rated Free Safety in #Madden17. https://t.co/rNqLT3ECD7 #LOB pic.twitter.com/tLzrEwjAv3
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) August 1, 2016
What do you think? Are these the best players on your team, or did the Madden developers get it wrong?
