The best players for the 2022 season and 99 club at every position

play

Training camps for most of the National Football League teams will start next week. Football is back in the mind of the sports fan after a brief break. Preparing for the latest Madden video game is part of the process. This year's game is not the same as last year's.

There is a feeling of legacy around the game this year after the death of John Madden and the decision to put Madden on the cover. Madden wanted the game to be about football and to approximate the reality of the sport he loved to coach, teach and talk about. He wanted it to be 11-on-11 at the beginning. Until his death, he was still involved in the video game.

Some aspects of the game stood out more than others. Ratings are important to players. They'll complain about their rating on social media and ask questions of people who are doing it. The Madden staff adjusts ratings throughout the year. It's a significant event.

The 99 club, which has turned into an honor around the sport, is a breakdown of the initial ratings at the launch of Madden 23. There will be more positions rolled out this week.

Wide receivers

This is the first thing. Adams is a player for the Raiders.

There are two Cooper Kupp is a Rams player.

There are three. Hill is a Dolphins player.

There are four. DeANDRE HOPKINS OF THE CARDINALS

There are five. The Bills had a player with a score of 95.

There are six. The Vikings have a player namedJustin Jefferson.

There are seven. Mike Evans is a football player.

Terry McLaurin is a Commander.

Keenan Allen is a player for the Bolts.

There are ten. The Amari Cooper is from the Cleveland Indians.

They were dropped from the launch last year.

Maybe no group of players has received more of a boost in real life this year as a receiver. An explosion of money went to premium players at the position once Christian Kirk got his four-year, $72 million contract from Jacksonville. It turned the receiver into a key position in the football team. The ratings in Madden reflect how talented the group has become.

It's one of three groups where the entire top 10 has a rating of 90 or above, and as many as five of them could be considered the best in the game.

While Adams has moved from the Packers to the Raiders, his status as the top receiver in the game is still the same. Adams went from a 94 at the Madden 21 launch to a 95 last year.

There's a lot of moving behind Adams. It went from second to fourth. Kupp went from outside the top 10 at the start of last year to a 98 overall after a season in which he caught 1,947 yards and 16 touchdown passes. A lot of players were knocked down by Kupp.

Tight ends

This is the first thing. The Kansas City Chiefs have a player namedTravis Kelce.

There are two Kittle is a 49ers player.

There are three. Mark is a Ravens player.

There are four. The Raiders have a player namedDarren Waller.

There are five. T.J. Hockenson is a Lion.

There are six. Kyle Pitts is a Falcons player.

There are seven. Mike Gesicki is a Dolphin.

There are eight. The Eagles have a Dallas Goedert.

A-9. Ertz is from the Cards

A-9. Hunter Henry is a member of the New England Revolution.

Austin and Rob were dropped from the team.

The man at the top of a position that has grown in scope and importance on the field remains the same. Kelce is no longer a member of the 99 club, but he is still the top tight end in the game. The list behind him is not as close as it could be.

One of Kelce's competitors is Kittle. Kittle is the second tight end on the team and is a 97 overall, up from 96 a year ago. The drop follows. After entering the 90s, he moves from fourth to third. He dropped from a 93 a year ago to a 91 this year.

Big moves take place after that. One of the game's top young tight ends is now ranked fifth in the game and 89 overall. In his first year as a tight end, he had the second-best season in the history of rookies, with 68 catches and 1,026 yards. Gesicki went from an 85 to an 86. Goedert moved from 10 to 8. Ertz, one of the most consistent tight ends in the league, made a big leap from an 80 to an 84 and entered the top 10.