Getty Stephon Gilmore
The New England Patriots‘ Stephon Gilmore won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, so it only makes sense he’d be the highest-rated cornerback in Madden 21. While most would expect him to stand tall above everyone else at his position, Gilmore will reportedly have a maxed-out overall rating in the upcoming game, per a leak shared by Twitter user Cameron Mertz on Saturday.
Gilmore will be joined by last year’s cover athlete, Super Bowl MVP, and $500-million-man Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald, and the Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey as the only members of the 99 Club at the game’s launch on August 25.
The 99 Club consists of players in the NFL who will have a top possible overall rating in Madden. The ratings can drop or rise during the season, but because Gilmore will begin the season as a 99, he might be in line to receive this kind of package right before the 2020 season begins.
Rating: #99Club
Cleats: 💯
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How Gilmore Got to 99 Overall
Judging a cornerback by basic statistics alone can be tough, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to rate a player for Madden at this position. Oftentimes, opposing quarterbacks simply won’t through in that direction, thus it limits the number of opportunities to intercept or break up passes.
Even with Gilmore getting that kind of respect, he still tied for the league lead with a career-high six interceptions. He also tied a career-high and led the league in passes defended with 20. When you mix that in with being the best player on the defense that spent much of the 2019 season ranked No. 1, the 99-overall rating makes sense.
Other Patriots Players Whose Ratings Will Be Interesting
What will Cam Newton‘s rating be in Madden 21? At the end of the 2019 season, the former 2015 NFL MVP saw his rating drop all the way to a 79. He began the season at an 84. It’ll be interesting to see how his rating fluctuates during the season.
Rookies are always an interesting case. The Patriots’ top pick was safety Kyle Dugger in the second round out of Lenoir-Rhyne. Madden is traditionally tough on rookies with their ratings. For context, the No. 1 overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow will begin his career with just a 76 overall rating.
Based on that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dugger start off somewhere in the 60s. If he plays well, you’ll see the number rise, but if he’s able to break 75 at any point in 2020, he’s likely having a killer rookie campaign.
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