Madden 25 Player Ratings: Who SHOULD Be The Top 5 Highest-Rated Players
Madden Week kicked off by revealing the 99 Club for each position for Madden 25. In the meantime, the NFL is unveiling its annual Top 100 list. We thought we'd combine the two exercises by ranking current NFL players by how good they should be in Madden, 1-5.
We begin with the obvious:
1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is the best player in the NFL. And unlike Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, who held said title before him, Mahomes' game is built for Madden.
Mahomes makes watching football feel like a video game, from the mobility to the agility, from the no-look passes to the absurd arm angles.
His teammates understand he will eventually lead them to victory. But more importantly, other teams understand he will eventually – somehow – send them home in dismay.
Ask the 49ers about that feeling. And the Eagles. And the Bills.
Those challenging Mahomes in Madden ought to experience the same damning fate as his opponents on the field.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (15) holds the the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVIII vs. the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
If you were to build the ideal quarterback in the Madden lab, he'd probably look eerily similar to Josh Allen.
Never in NFL history has there been a quarterback as big, fast, strong, athletic, and accurate as Allen. He's a cyborg. Imagine taking off for 30 and leaping over a defender.
You get to do that in Madden, but only if you play as Josh Allen.
There's a reason Madden 24, last year's game, was marketed around Allen's gameplay:
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3. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Madden has long made running the football cooler than running the football actually is. The spin moves, the burst, and the long touchdown runs are more exhilarating in gameplay than when watching on television.
Christian McCaffrey, the cover athlete of Madden 25, is the best and most exciting running back in the league. It's not particularly close. Who is even second? An injured Nick Chubb?
In Madden, McCaffrey is a bit of a cheat code.
Err, McCaffrey is a bit of a cheat code in real life, too.
4. T. J. Watt, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Defense is boring in Madden – except when you are playing as TJ Watt.
Madden 25 highlights a new "bull rush" feature in which players can charge into linemen, run them over, and wreak havoc on a backfield. Hello, Watt.
Between rushing the passer and swatting down passes, Watt should be the top-rated defender in the game. Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, and Myles Garrett are great. But one-on-one, Watt is the most explosive defender in the NFL.
Let us just hope EA Sports did right by Watt by incorporating his ball skills into the games:
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5. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Justin Jefferson might be a better wide receiver than Tyreek Hill. But, in Madden, Hill should be rated higher with a 99 overall in the almighty speed category.
Hill is a bit like Michael Vick, the poster child for a previous generation of Madden video games, in that he looks and feels so much faster than the competition.
We hope Madden replicates that reality in making it abundantly clear that once Hill gets past the defense, it's over. He's also an excellent route runner with elite hands:
We are told Hill's signature "deuces" gesture is available in Madden. As it should be.
Let us know which player you are most excited to play as in Madden 25.