It's Madden season once more, and if you couldn't smell the freshly cut gridiron or hear the freshly cut players calling their agents, one way to be sure it's time for football is the never-ending Madden ratings debate. In Madden 22, player and team ratings are once more the subject of much discussion around the virtual water cooler. Which rookies have the best ratings? Which wide receiver deserves to be the fastest? Can anyone top the Chiefs this year?
We've been playing Madden 22 for a few weeks now and are bringing you the top-rated rookies, veterans, and teams so you can arm yourself with the knowledge of who's overrated, who's underrated, and more--in your mind, anyway. Here's all you need to know about the best-rated players and teams in Madden NFL 22.
Rookies
Best Madden NFL 22 rookie ratings
Kyle Pitts: Atlanta Falcons TE, 81 OVR
Having traded longtime star Julio Jones to Tennessee, the Falcons will likely lean on Pitts early and often, and so too will anyone using the team in Madden. Paired with the still-elite Matt Ryan, he poses a matchup nightmare for defenders, as he's too fast (91) for many linebackers but too strong (71) for many defensive backs.
Trevor Lawrence: Jacksonville Jaguars QB, 78 OVR
Rookies hovering around 80 are rare, but so too is Lawrence's natural skillset, complete with his 84 speed and 80 awareness, making him not just one of the fastest QBs in the game right away, but also one of the smartest. Lawrence's team is low on its own hierarchy, but the rookie's abilities may prove to be too much for Madden players to ignore in the team selection screen.
Jaylen Waddle: Miami Dolphins WR, 76 OVR
This Dolphins burner offers a ridiculous 97 speed, 95 acceleration, and 97 agility. All of this is to say he will likely grow into one of the game's elite wideouts if you're playing in a multi-year Franchise and will likely haunt the dreams of anyone on your schedule in a PvP league. Waddle will take the top off the defense from the first snap in Madden 22.
Patrick Surtain: Denver Broncos CB, 76 OVR
The Broncos boast top-to-bottom strength on defense, which rookie safety Patrick Surtain helps grow even stronger. His 91 speed, 75 awareness, and 90 acceleration mean he can keep up with any targets coming across his zone, or he can take on some high-end receivers single-handedly.
Najee Harris: Pittsburgh Steelers RB, 76 OVR
Harris landed in Pittsburgh where he will immediately help a perennial contender return to glory. He's not a speedster, as evidenced by his 88 speed, but he makes up for it as a powerback, leveling would-be tacklers with 81 strength and 90 acceleration, giving him a freight train-like tackle-breaking ability.
Player
Best Madden NFL 22 player ratings
Patrick Mahomes: Kansas City Chiefs QB, 99 OVR
Mahomes is maybe the most athletically gifted QB the league has ever seen and continues to dominate the league every week. With near perfect stats such as 97 throw power and accuracy ratings at 93 or higher at any distance on the field, Mahomes is a Madden cheat code.
Jalen Ramsey: Los Angeles Rams CB, 99 OVR
As a true lockdown corner, Ramsey's 99 awareness, 99 play recognition, and 99 coverage in both man and zone schemes, he has no weakness.
Travis Kelce: Kansas City Chiefs TE, 99 OVR
Kelce joins his QB on this coveted list for the second year in a row. Taking the mantle from Rob Gronkowski as the best tight end in the league, Kelce's physical game shines in his 96 catching, 93 speed, and 91 catch-in-traffic ratings.
Aaron Donald: Los Angeles Rams DE, 99 OVR
Donald is Madden's best game-wrecker. He demands double-teams all game long and still bets them, swallowing up RBs and QBs far too often to be considered human. His 99 strength, 99 power moves, and 99 finesse moves are similarly out of this world.
Davante Adams: Green Bay Packers WR, 99 OVR
Catching balls from Aaron Rodgers can help elevate any career, but Adams has earned his placement in the club this year with consistently dominant seasons for the past half-decade now. His 99 release, 99 catching, 98 spectacular catching make Adams a wideout who isn't just going to beat his man at the line, he's going to out-jump the extra defender playing the deep zone.
Teams
Madden NFL 22 team ratings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 92 OVR
The Bucs come into Madden 22 as the real-life champs and a likely fan-favorite in online H2H thanks to their bevy of weapons on both sides of the ball. Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Lavonte David, and Vita Vea are just some of the elite talent elevating this squad to #1 this season.
Kansas City Chiefs: 90 OVR
The Chiefs often make pro football look so easy, and that's true in Madden, too. With the unstoppable trio of Mahomes, Kelce, and Tyreek Hill, plus rising stars like Mecole Hardman, the Chiefs will continue to be one of the most-used teams in Madden for another year.
Green Bay Packers: 89 OVR
Green Bay weathered controversy all offseason, but in the end Aaron Rodgers stayed put, meaning Madden players don't have to pivot away from the Packers if that's their longtime favorite. Aaron Jones has emerged as a strong RB to complement the devastating passing attack in Wisconsin.
Baltimore Ravens: 88 OVR
The Ravens have been the 1B to the Chiefs' 1A in the AFC for two seasons now, and that continues for another year, at least in Madden. Still, stars like Lamar Jackson, Marlon Humphrey, Ronnie Staley, and Marcus Peters remind us that the best teams are deep all over the field, not just top-heavy with a few stars.
Cleveland Browns: 87 OVR
Browns fans aren't dreaming, the Madden ratings team really is backing the perennially doomed club this season, just like much of the football cognoscenti is too. With OBJ, Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, and Baker Mayfield, the Browns find themselves in the unfamiliar territory of being a fan-favorite with a lot to prove. They'll be popular in H2H for sure.
