:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60181913/usa_today_10547928.0.jpg)
We’re getting closer to the start of a new NFL season, which means that we’re getting closer to the release of a new incarnation of EA Sports’ Madden NFL franchise. As you’d probably guess, the Minnesota Vikings have numerous high-ranking players, and while the rankings we’re about to show you are still “unofficial,” I can’t imagine they’d vary too much from what has been leaked out so far.
The Vikings are towards the end of the video, at the 5:40 mark if you’re scoring at home. The video shows the top players for almost every team (there were a few that got left out), but anyone that’s going to be using the Vikings is going to be pretty happy with their choice.
The highest-rated player on the purple, not surprisingly, is safety Harrison Smith, who is rated at 93 on a scale with a max rating of 99. (For the record, apparently Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Donald, and Antonio Brown are the only three players in the game with a 99 rating.) Right behind him is Xavier Rhodes with a rating of 92. The next two players on the Vikings’ list are the team’s top two receivers, and apparently the folks at EA prefer Stefon Diggs to Adam Thielen, rating Diggs at a 90 while putting Thielen at an 88.
The remainder of the top eight for the Vikings looks like this:
- Linval Joseph - 87
- Dalvin Cook - 86
- Anthony Barr - 82
- Sheldon Richardson - 82
I’m pretty interested to see where some of the other Vikings shake out in this one, particularly quarterback Kirk Cousins. With player ratings changing in Madden from week to week based on performance, there’s a good chance we could see multiple members of the Vikings move up the list over the course of the season.
It’s been a long time since I picked up a new Madden, but with as stacked as the Vikings are, it might actually be kind of fun again. (Yeah, I don’t enjoy Madden if I can’t win with the Vikings. Don’t tell me you aren’t the same way.) We’re about six weeks away from the release, as it’s schedule to come out on numerous platforms. . .including its return to the world of PC gaming. . .on 10 August.