The Madden 21 player ratings have been officially unveiled for the upcoming NFL simulation game. We learned over the past week that the exclusive 99 Club will feature five members for this year’s game. They’ll include three offensive stars and two defensive players. Meanwhile, a group of 10 other players is extremely close to gaining membership to the club.
Who’s in the 99 Club for Madden 21 player ratings?
Last year’s 99 Club had a total of four members and three of them were from the defensive side of the ball. They included the Bears’ Khalil Mack, Rams’ Aaron Donald, and Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, then with the Houston Texans, was the only offensive player.
Things have changed a bit when it comes to the Madden 21 player ratings, as only Aaron Donald is returning as a member of the 99 Club. He’s also just one of two defensive stars, with the other being the New England Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore.
Offensive players are more plentiful when it comes to 99 ratings. They include Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Carolina Panthers halfback Christian McCaffrey, and New Orleans Saints’ wide receiver Michael Thomas.
All of the above players gave solid proof that they’re deserving of the club based on their body of work last season. That said, there are 10 players within one or two points of getting that 99 rating.
10 NFL Players who are close to 99
The players who were in last year’s edition of the club didn’t fall that far in terms of their Madden 21 ratings. Seattle’s Wagner and Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins are at 98 ratings to start the new game, while Khalil Mack is a 97 OVR. That gives these guys a serious shot at regaining entry.
Along with Hopkins and Wagner, several other players are just a point away from a 99. They are the 49ers’ tight end George Kittle, Texans’ left end J.J. Watt, and Cowboys’ right guard Zack Martin. Each of these guys is a 98 OVR and could easily get into the club. Wagner and Watt also lead all players for Hit Power and Tackling, respectively.
Then there’s the 97s. Joining Mack in the group are Falcons’ receiver Julio Jones, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and Broncos left outside linebacker Von Miller. To think any of these guys doesn’t have a solid shot to gain entry to the 99 Club would be a mistake.
Those 10 guys are just the players who are “close” in terms of ratings to start the season. Other players could climb the ratings board as well, which is what McCaffrey and Thomas did with the 2019 NFL season. A player like cover star Lamar Jackson could be on a mission to move from a 95 OVR up to that club.
Clearly, they’ll need the new NFL season to go forth in order to get into the 99 Club. If and when it does, a few solid performances in their first few weeks of games could boost them right up there in the ratings.
View the complete EA Madden ratings at the database here.
See more of our Madden updates including news and how-to guides for the game.