Madden 22 ratings list of the top five players at every position

Madden 22
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Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Donald topping the Madden 22 ratings list is hardly a shock, but they aren't the only members of the Madden 22 99 Club. The Madden 22 default roster, correct as of August 20, also awards top marks to Davante Adams, Travis Kelce, and Jalen Ramsey. Sorry, Jacksonville fans – there's no spot for Trevor Lawrence (above) just yet. As for the best of the rest, below we showcase the top five players at every position in your Madden 22 ratings guide.

Madden 22 QB ratings

Madden NFL 20

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1. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) - 99
2. Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - 97
3. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) - 96
4. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - 94
5. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) - 91

Mahomes and Brady mark their sharing of the Madden 22 cover honours by securing spots in the top two, while Drew Brees falls out of the elite five completely - although he does have a reasonable excuse. Namely: retirement. Madden 21 cover star Jackson nabs the top five slot vacated by Brees.                                           

Madden 22 RB ratings

Madden NFL 20

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1. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers) - 97
2=. Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans) - 96
2=. Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns) - 96
4. Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings) - 95
5. Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints) - 94

McCaffrey clings onto the number one spot he held in Madden 21, although with a two-point OVR drop – eliminating him from the esteemed 99 Club. Henry can feel a touch hard done by in second, having pounded out 2027 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in a ruthless 2020 campaign.

Madden 22 WR ratings

Madden 21

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1. Davante Adams (Green Bay Packers) - 99
2. DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona Cardinals) - 98
3. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs) - 98
4. Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills) - 97
5. Julio Jones (Tennessee Titans) - 95

Aaron Rodgers’ favourite target proved a workhouse again in 2020, justifying his 99 OVR via 115 catches for 1407 yards and an astonishing 18 touchdowns. Diggs was arguably even better, with 127 catches, 1535 yards and eight touchdowns - but it wasn’t enough to pip Adams, Hopkins or Hill in EA Tiburon’s eyes.

Madden 22 TE ratings

Madden NFL 20

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1. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) - 99
2. George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers) - 96
3. Darren Waller (Las Vegas Raiders) - 93
4. Mark Andrews (Baltimore Ravens) - 88
5. Hunter Henry (New England Patriots) - 87

At the age of 31, Patrick Mahomes’ main target man is considered by many to be the greatest tight end of all time. Across eight NFL seasons Kelce has snagged 612 catches for 7,881 yards and 48 touchdowns, joining Mahomes for a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance last time out. There was no doubt he’d top this list.

Madden 22 LT/RT ratings

1. David Bakhtiari (LT, Green Bay Packers) - 96
2. Terron Armstead (LT, New Orleans Saints) - 95
3. Trent Williams (LT, San Francisco 49ers) - 94
4. Ronnie Stanley (LT, Baltimore Ravens) - 93
5. Tyron Smith (LT, Dallas Cowboys) - 91

Left tackles populate this list in its entirely, which isn’t surprising – it’s famously the position which protects a quarterback’s blind side. As for right tackles, the best you’ll find is a pair of players with overall ratings of 89 - Ryan Ramczyk of the New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl winner Tristan Wirfs.

Madden 22 C/LG/RG ratings

1. Zack Martin (RG, Dallas Cowboys) - 98
2. Quenton Nelson (LG, Indianapolis Colts) - 95
3. Brandon Brooks (RG, Philadelphia Eagles) - 92
4. Rodney Hudson (C, Arizona Cardinals) - 92
5. Jason Kelce (C, Philadelphia Eagles) - 91

A real mix of interior linemen here, with Dallas dominator Zack Martin the pick of the pile, and two Eagles players making the top five. Alongside them, starting right tackle Lane Johnson also boasts a lofty overall score of 88. It’s always sunny on the Philly offensive line, at least in Madden.

Madden 22 DT/LE/RE ratings

Madden NFL 20

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1. Aaron Donald (RE, Los Angeles Rams) - 99
2. Myles Garrett (RE, Cleveland Browns) - 98
3=. Fletcher Cox (DT, Philadelphia Eagles) - 94
3=. JJ Watt (LE, Arizona Cardinals) - 94
5. Cameron Jordan (LE, New Orleans Saints) - 93

Mostly defensive ends here, led by LA talisman Donald. He finished Madden 21 with scores of 99 strength, 99 awareness, and 95 tackling, and in real life waltzed his way to the NFL Defensive Player Of The Year gong for the third time in four years. Standouts at defensive tackle include Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs, 92) and Deforest Buckner (Indianapolis Colts, 92). 

Madden 22 MLB/ROLB/LOLB ratings

Madden 22

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1. Khalil Mack (LOLB, Chicago Bears) - 96
2=. Chandler Jones (LOLB, Arizona Cardinals) - 94
2=. Fred Warner (MLB, San Francisco 49ers) - 94
2=. TJ Watt (LOLB, Pittsburgh Steelers) - 94
5=. Lavonte David (MLB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - 93
5=. Von Miller (LOLB, Denver Broncos) - 93

No ROLBs on this list of elite linebackers – the best to be found in Madden 22 at that particular position is Denver’s Bradley Chubb, with an overall of 85. Mack usurps Bobby Wagner from top spot, with the Seattle MLB’s rating falling from 98 to 92.

Madden 22 CB ratings

Madden 22

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1. Jalen Ramsey (Los Angeles Rams) - 99
2. Stephon Gilmore (New England Patriots) - 97
3. Jaire Alexander (Green Bay Packers) - 95
4. Tre’Davious White (Buffalo Bills) - 93
5. Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore Ravens) - 92

There’s no spot on this list for Dolphins’ ball hawk Xavien Howard - he has to settle for sixth place with an OVR of 91. Gilmore grabbed the maximum overall rating in Madden 21, but slips out of the 99 Club due to injury and absence. He suffered a partially torn quad in December, having already missed part of the season due to Covid.

Madden 22 FS/SS ratings

Madden 22

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1. Tyrann Mathieu (SS, Kansas City Chiefs) - 95
2. Budda Baker (SS, Arizona Cardinals) - 93
3. Devin McCourty (FS, New England Patriots) - 92
4=. Jessie Bates III (FS, Cincinatti Bengals) - 91
4=. Justin Simmons (FS, Denver Broncos) - 91

Fantasy players know Arizona’s Budda Baker to be a tackling machine, but it’s not enough to supplant Super Bowl runner-up Mathieu from the top of this chart. Minnesota’s Harrison Smith, rated the best safety going in Madden 21, exits the elite five with a small OVR drop to 90.

Madden 22 K ratings

1. Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens) - 87
2. Jason Sanders (Miami Dolphins) - 85
3. Harrison Butker (Kansas City Chiefs) - 84
4. Josh Lambo (Jacksonville Jaguars) - 83
5. Graham Gano (New York Giants) - 82

Miami and the blue half of New York grace this list for the first time, thanks to the accurate legs of Sanders and Gano respectively. The Phins’ highest rated non-special-teams player in Madden 22 is the aforementioned Howard (CB, 91), while that honour for the G-Men is shared by cornerback James Bradberry IV and running back Saqoun Barkley, both on 90.

Madden 22 P ratings

1. Johnny Hekker (Los Angeles Rams) - 86
2. Brett Kern (Tennessee Titans) - 85
3. Sam Koch (Baltimore Ravens) - 84
4. Tress Way (Washington Football Team) - 83
5. JK Scott (Green Bay Packers) - 82

It's Washington’s turn to creep onto this list late in the day, thanks to the booming boot of Tress Way. Other standouts for the still nickname-less team from DC? Kendall Fuller (CB, 89), Terry McLaurin (WR, 89) and Jonathan Allen (DT, 88).

Looking for more ways to get ahead on the virtual turf? Then give our Madden 22 playbooks guide a punt.

Ben Wilson

I'm GamesRadar's sports editor, and obsessed with NFL, WWE, MLB, AEW, and occasionally things that don't have a three-letter acronym – such as Chvrches, Bill Bryson, and Streets Of Rage 4. (All the Streets Of Rage games, actually.) Even after three decades I still have a soft spot for Euro Boss on the Amstrad CPC 464+.