10 Madden player ratings EA Sports got wrong
EA Sports released its Madden NFL 24 player ratings this week, prompting plenty of discussion about what it got right and where it went wrong.
Here are 10 players who need their overalls tweaked:
Overrated
Terry McLaurin - 92 overall (WR8)
McLaurin is a really good receiver, but he's not a great one. The 27-year-old has never reached 1,200 yards in a season despite averaging 119.25 targets per campaign. Yet he received a higher rating than players like A.J. Brown (91 OVR) and CeeDee Lamb (90 OVR), who are coming off 1,496- and 1,359-yard seasons, respectively. McLaurin doesn't need his overall tanked, but dropping to the high 80s would make sense.
Chase Young - 85 overall (LE3)
Though injuries have been Young's biggest issue, he's also failed to make a huge impact on the field. The 24-year-old has just 1.5 sacks over his last two seasons (12 games). That's a far cry from his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign when he racked up 7.5 quarterback takedowns in 15 games. Young's teammate, Montez Sweat, is only an 82 overall despite posting a combined 13 sacks over the last two years (27 contests). Swapping the overall ratings of these two, and maybe even dropping Young some more, would make a lot of sense.
Jamaal Williams - 85 overall (HB15)
Williams had a breakout season last year ... kind of. The 28-year-old scored an NFL-leading 17 rushing touchdowns and ran for 1,066 yards, but that was behind one of the best offensive lines in football. Plus, only four of his touchdown carries were longer than 2 yards. Williams is a capable finisher and a solid back, but 85 overall is too rich.
Rondale Moore - 80 overall (WR52)
Moore has shown flashes of the playmaking ability that got him drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft, but the 5-foot-7 receiver has struggled with consistency and health. He's just barely met 400 yards in back-to-back seasons and had a 10.7% drop rate a year ago. Moore's athletic traits will understandably inflate his overall a bit, but he's produced closer to a low-70s player than an 80.
Russell Wilson - 77 overall (QB18)
Wilson endured the worst campaign of his career. He was sacked a league-worst 55 times and set new career lows in completion percentage, touchdowns, and several other categories. While 77 overall feels mostly fine in a vacuum, we're not sure that Wilson should be rated above Justin Fields (76 OVR), Matthew Stafford (75 OVR), or Daniel Jones (75 OVR).
Underrated
Jason Kelce - 92 overall (C1)
Kelce is the anchor of the Eagles' offensive line and rightfully earned the top rating among all centers in Madden 24. However, he's deserving of an even better rating after earning his fifth first-team All-Pro in 2022. Kelce didn't allow a sack or a quarterback hit all of last season while allowing just 11 pressures, per PFF.
Penei Sewell - 86 overall (RT4)
The 22-year-old made his first Pro Bowl last year and was maybe the best player on a powerful offensive line. Sewell hasn't missed a snap since being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft and allowed just two sacks in 2022. He was flagged eight times last year, which is probably too many for him to reach 90 overall, but as one of the most fluid and powerful offensive linemen in the league, Sewell deserves to be bumped up a few points.
Javon Hargrave - 84 overall (DT10)
Hargrave is coming off a career year as an interior rusher. The 30-year-old posted 11 sacks and earned an elite 90.8 pass rush grade from PFF. Hargrave capitalized in free agency, signing a four-year, $84-million deal with the 49ers, but EA Sports wasn't so kind in its evaluation. He ranks well behind players like the Bengals' D.J. Reader (87 OVR, zero sacks in 10 games) and the Colts' DeForest Buckner (86 OVR, eight sacks in 17 games).
Tariq Woolen - 83 overall (CB27)
The Seahawks seemed to strike gold when they selected Woolen in the fifth round of last year's draft - he had 16 pass deflections and tied for the league lead in interceptions, with six, as a rookie. Despite the elite ball production and finishing third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race, Woolen has the same overall as Bills nickelback Taron Johnson and Jets No. 2 corner D.J. Reed.
Frankie Luvu - 79 overall (LOLB14)
Luvu was all over the field in 2022. He finished the campaign with 111 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks, nine QB hits, a forced fumble, an interception, and a touchdown. That's the same number of sacks as dedicated pass-rusher Josh Allen (85 OVR), 40 more tackles than the next rated LOLB, Sione Takitaki (76 OVR), and even more touchdowns than wide receiver Diontae Johnson (82 OVR).