The linebacker ratings have been released for the top 5 Madden 16 middle linebackers. With a new ratings maker in place at EA Sports, it is a fair statement to say that much of the Madden community was wondering what things would look like for this year’s game. Below you will find a list of the top five with some of their individual ratings as well.
Luke Kuechly comes in as the highest rated middle linebacker at with Patrick Willis retired, and this isn’t really surprising. Luke will be a force in coverage and tracking down ball carriers, but likely will not excel at truly getting off the blocks at the second level. Below you will find some of his individual ratings that have us believing he can make an instant impact on your Madden team.
- 99 Pursuit
- 98 Play Recognition
- 85 Zone Coverage
Navarro Bowman slides in at #2 with a low 93 overall. This tells me that the new ratings guy was not high at all on grading the middle linebackers and may make running a 34 defense as effective without 2 highly rated guys in the middle. Bowman will be nearly as good as Kuechly, but will suffer in the user department as he comes in at 6 feet tall.
- 96 Pursuit
- 92 Block Shedding
- 82 Zone Coverage
Coming in at 3rd at a 92 overall is Bobby Wagner. Wagner figures to be one of the faster MLB in the game and will be more user friendly because of this despite his lack of height as well.
- 96 Pursuit
- 90 Play Recognition
- 85 Zone Coverage
Coming in at #4 is Clay Matthews with a surprisingly low 90 overall. This means we have only 3 middle linebackers rating higher than a 90 to start the game and seems unusually low to me. This could provide an issue for players who rely on usering their middle linebacker as their other option in the 34 won’t be rated too high. I would likely though move Clay to an outside position as he is still used primarily as a pass rusher.
- 96 Pursuit
- 88 Play Recognition
- 75 Zone Coverage
Coming in at #5 is Daryl Smith also at a 90 overall. This is Smith’s highest rating yet and his numbers look quite solid. Often overlooked in Madden Smith could find himself ranking higher next year with a solid season.
- 92 Pursuit
- 95 Play Recognition
- 84 Zone Coverage
One surprising fact that was posted in the rankings was that Karlos Dansby will also be a 90 overall. For those who do not know, Dansby is a monster user at 6 foot 4 and as an avid MUT player this makes me think we may be getting an elite Dansby to start the year.
For a full list of the complete top 5 quarterback ratings, click here.