EA Sports has kicked off its yearly tradition of releasing Madden ratings to build anticipation for the game’s release. This year, Madden NFL 25 will be available worldwide on August 16, with early access starting on August 13 for those who pre-ordered the game.
The Madden team announced its ratings for safeties and wide receivers on July 29. They gave Xavier McKinney an 85 overall and Javon Bullard a 75. McKinney’s rating feels low, given his top-five ranking in overall defensive grade and tackling last year among safeties with at least 100 snaps. Additionally, he led the NFL in coverage grade and played 100% of defensive snaps for the New York Giants.
Despite McKinney’s surprisingly low rating, the ratings of Green Bay’s wide receivers caught fans’ attention on Monday. Not a single Packers wideout scored above 80 overall. Romeo Doubs is rated 79, Jayden Reed 78, Christian Watson 77, Dontayvion Wicks 75, Bo Melton 73, and Malik Heath 66.
That doesn’t make sense in a league context. Last year, Jerry Jeudy failed to achieve a single receiving grade of 72.5 or above. He caught two touchdowns in 16 games and had 758 receiving yards. Still, Madden gave Jeudy an 81-overall grade.
Reed, Doubs, Watson, and Wicks caught more touchdowns than Jeudy. Additionally, Reed had more yards, and Wicks and Reed had at least four receiving grades of 75 or higher. The last time we saw a healthy Christian Watson, he posted an elite 88.3 receiving grade, 165 receiving yards, and three touchdowns against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and NFC finalist Detroit Lions. If Jeudy is an 81, all of these players should have higher ratings than him.
Jayden Reed broke Green Bay’s rookie reception record and had the third-most yards by a rookie receiver in Packers history, the most since 1978. He scored 10 total touchdowns last year. Still, Reed has the same rating as Nelson Agholor, who caught 35 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. Agholor played all 17 games with the Baltimore Ravens. In comparison, Watson missed 8 games last year but still outperformed Agholor in yards and touchdowns.
Last year, one of the biggest storylines for Kansas City was the lack of support Patrick Mahomes received from his receiver room. Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were among the top 11 in drop percentage among receivers with at least 35 targets. Yet, both have the same rating as Watson, who has already proven to be the most dynamic weapon on Green Bay’s offense. Moreover, Watson had a 6.7% drop percentage in 2023.
Allen Lazard and Dontayvion Wicks are rated 75 overall this year. However, Lazard led the NFL in drop percentage among receivers with at least 45 targets, with a margin of 4% over the second highest. He had 23 catches for 311 yards and just one touchdown and was a healthy scratch for a few games. In contrast, Wicks was the top wideout in the league out of 118 in getting open against man coverage last year. He was also a top-three receiver from the slot, ahead of Tyreek Hill in separation and post-throw performance. Wicks is undoubtedly performing at a higher level than Lazard right now.
Bo Melton has the same overall rating as rookies Ricky Pearsall and Keon Coleman. While Coleman and Pearsall are undeniably talented, Melton has already proven his ability to contribute in crucial moments. In a win-or-go-home scenario, Melton exceeded 100 yards in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings last year.
A 66 overall rating feels too low for Malik Heath. Despite only 24 targets last year, he caught 15 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Heath was also a strong blocker in the running game and consistently made defenders miss with the ball in his hands.
The debate over Madden ratings naturally sparks discussions about player rankings, but it’s important not to take it too seriously. After all, it’s just a video game. Green Bay’s receivers will probably not be concerned with these ratings. But if they are, they would make for good bulletin board material.
