Madden NFL 21 Ratings for Every Former Ohio State Player

Fifty-seven NFL players who completed their collegiate careers at Ohio State are included in this year’s installment of the Madden video game franchise, headlined by New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, one of five players to receive a 99 overall rating. According to a list of all-time Madden ratings compiled by I-80 Sports Blog, Thomas is the first Ohio State player to ever receive a 99, the highest possible rating in the game.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is the second-highest-rated Buckeye in this year’s game with an overall rating of 92, which ties him with Nick Chubb for the third-highest-rating among running backs (behind Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry) in Madden 21.

Joey Bosa (91), Cameron Heyward (90) and Nick Bosa (89) are all ranked among the game’s top 10 defensive ends, while Bosa is also the highest-rated player on the Los Angeles Chargers’ roster. Denzel Ward and Marshon Lattimore, who each received overall ratings of 86, are tied for 13th among cornerbacks.

Malcolm Jenkins (85), back with the Saints after six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, is tied for seventh among strong safeties in the ratings, while Andrew Norwell (83) is ranked seventh among left guards. Malik Hooker and Terry McLaurin, who both received 82 overall ratings, round out the top 11 Buckeyes in the game.

No. 2 overall NFL draft pick Chase Young, one of five Buckeyes who received an overall rating of 80, is the highest-rated rookie in the game. No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah (76) is also tied for the highest-rated rookie cornerback in the game, while J.K. Dobbins (75) is the game's highest-rated rookie running back.

Come to Ohio State if you want a good Madden rating... I guess? https://t.co/qiteIJ6QXf

— Jeff Okudah (@jeffokudah) July 18, 2020

Because Madden still doesn’t have a separate position designation for long snappers, Jake McQuaide – listed as a tight end – comes in with the lowest ranking among Buckeyes who were included in the game.

A look at the ratings, from highest to lowest, for all 57 Buckeyes in Madden NFL 21, listed by their positions in the game:

Should you feel compelled to buy Madden and choose to make an All-Buckeye roster, below is a look at what your depth chart could look like (with a few position tweaks to round out the depth chart):

Two other former Ohio State players who finished their collegiate careers elsewhere are also included in Madden NFL 21. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the only player selected before Young in this year’s draft after he led LSU to a national championship last season, begins his pro career with a Madden rating of 76. New Orleans Saints defensive end Noah Spence, who finished his college career at Eastern Kentucky after being ruled permanently ineligible by the Big Ten, received an overall rating of 73.