Over the past few days, two members of the 99 Club in the Madden 21 player ratings were revealed. Both players were from the offensive side of the ball, and neither was a member at the time Madden 20 launched last year. As of Wednesday, the first member was revealed who was a part of the exclusive club in last year’s game, Los Angeles Rams juggernaut Aaron Donald.
Aaron Donald returns to 99 Club for Madden 21 player ratings
Unlike Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Donald has been part of the 99 Club as of last year’s Madden 20 release. He’ll return for the Madden 21 game and as of right now, leads all defensive players in the game with his 99 OVR.
Donald has been in the league since 2014 and has put up impressive career numbers with 220 solo tackles, 72 sacks, and 15 forced fumbles in 94 games. In addition, he’s a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro. He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018.
He now joins another exclusive club. Based on this year’s 99 OVR, he joins only six other NFL stars who have achieved a 99 rating in four different years. At the top of the list is Peyton Manning, the only player to earn six 99 OVRs during his time. Donald is chasing Ray Lewis on that list for second, as the former Ravens star has five 99 OVRs during his time.
As with other players named to the 99 Club, a special mural was created consisting of painting and graffiti. Here’s a look at Donald’s mural in celebration of his return to the club in the Madden 21 player ratings.
Madden also revealed through a series of tweets that Aaron Donald ranks No. 1 for Power Moves at 99 OVR, followed by Cameron Jordan (97 OVR), and Chandler Jones (96 OVR). The Rams star is also No. 1 for strength with a 99, followed by Matthew Ioannidis, and Linval Joseph, who each got 98 OVRs. The former DPOY also grabbed the top spot for Finesse Moves so far with a 97 there. Joey Bosa was second with a 96 rating.
Donald leads defensive players
Other Madden 21 player ratings arrived after the announcement of Donald’s 99 Club membership. One of the fellow club members from last year, the Chicago Bears’ Khalil Mack, will begin Madden 21 with a 97 OVR. Just above him at the No. 2 spot is the Houston Texans’ JJ Watt. Rounding out the top five are the Denver Broncos’ LOLB Von Miller and Philadelphia Eagles’ DT Fletcher Cox.
Noticeably, there are no cornerbacks listed above. We saw the rookie CB ratings arrive on Tuesday night, but have yet to see the NFL pros’ numbers. Perhaps those are on the way on Thursday from ESPN, and if so, will that mean another 99 Club member at the position?
The Madden 21 video game drops on August 28 for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs.
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