Ohio State will be well-represented once again in Madden NFL 21.
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:
| Player | Pos | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| MICHAEL THOMAS | WR | NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | 99 |
| EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | RB | DALLAS COWBOYS | 92 |
| JOEY BOSA | LE | LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | 91 |
| CAMERON HEYWARD | RE | PITTSBURGH STEELERS | 90 |
| NICK BOSA | RE | SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | 89 |
| MARSHON LATTIMORE | CB | NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | 86 |
| DENZEL WARD | CB | CLEVELAND BROWNS | 86 |
| MALCOLM JENKINS | SS | NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | 85 |
| ANDREW NORWELL | LG | CAROLINA PANTHERS | 83 |
| MALIK HOOKER | FS | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | 82 |
| TERRY MCLAURIN | WR | WASHINGTON REDSKINS | 82 |
| CARLOS HYDE | HB | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | 80 |
| BRADLEY ROBY | CB | HOUSTON TEXANS | 80 |
| CURTIS SAMUEL | WR | CAROLINA PANTHERS | 80 |
| JOHN SIMON | LE | NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | 80 |
| CHASE YOUNG | RE | WASHINGTON REDSKINS | 80 |
| VONN BELL | SS | CINCINNATI BENGALS | 79 |
| COREY LINSLEY | C | GREEN BAY PACKERS | 78 |
| GAREON CONLEY | CB | HOUSTON TEXANS | 76 |
| JOHNATHAN HANKINS | DT | LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | 76 |
| RAEKWON MCMILLAN | MLB | MIAMI DOLPHINS | 76 |
| JEFF OKUDAH | CB | DETROIT LIONS | 76 |
| ELI APPLE | CB | CAROLINA PANTHERS | 75 |
| J.K. DOBBINS | RB | BALTIMORE RAVENS | 75 |
| TED GINN JR. | WR | CHICAGO BEARS | 75 |
| SAM HUBBARD | RE | CINCINNATI BENGALS | 75 |
| JEROME BAKER | MLB | MIAMI DOLPHINS | 74 |
| TAYLOR DECKER | LT | DETROIT LIONS | 74 |
| KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB | ATLANTA FALCONS | 73 |
| PARRIS CAMPBELL | WR | DETROIT LIONS | 72 |
| PAT ELFLEIN | LG | MINNESOTA VIKINGS | 72 |
| TYQUAN LEWIS | DT | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | 71 |
| DAMON ARNETTE JR. | CB | LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | 70 |
| NOAH BROWN | WR | DALLAS COWEBOYS | 70 |
| DAVON HAMILTON | DT | JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | 70 |
| DWAYNE HASKINS JR. | QB | WASHINGTON REDSKINS | 70 |
| JEFF HEUERMAN | TE | DENVER BRONCOS | 70 |
| DEVIN SMITH | WR | DENVER BRONCOS | 70 |
| MALIK HARRISON | MLB | BALTIMORE RAVENS | 69 |
| CAMERON JOHNSTON | P | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | 69 |
| DRE'MONT JONES | LE | DENVER BRONCOS | 69 |
| NICK VANNETT | TE | DENVER BRONCOS | 68 |
| NATE EBNER | SS | NEW YORK GIANTS | 67 |
| BILLY PRICE | LG | CINCINNATI BENGALS | 67 |
| ROD SMITH | HB | LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | 67 |
| JOHNNIE DIXON | WR | ARIZONA CARDINALS | 66 |
| JALYN HOLMES | LE | MINNESOTA VIKINGS | 65 |
| K.J. HILL | WR | LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | 64 |
| JORDAN FULLER | SS | LOS ANGELES RAMS | 63 |
| JONAH JACKSON | RG | DETROIT LIONS | 63 |
| JAMARCO JONES | LT | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | 62 |
| MICHAEL JORDAN | LG | CINCINNATI BENGALS | 61 |
| JASHON CORNELL | DT | DETROIT LIONS | 60 |
| ISAIAH PRINCE | RT | CINCINNATI BENGALS | 60 |
| BRANDEN BOWEN | RT | CAROLINA PANTHERS | 54 |
| J.T. BARRETT IV | QB | PITTSBURGH STEELERS | 50 |
| JAKE MCQUAIDE | TE | LOS ANGELES RAMS | 35 |
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):
| Pos | First Team | Second Team | Third Team | Fourth Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | DWAYNE HASKINS JR. (70) | J.T. BARRETT IV (50) | ||
| HB | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT (92) | CARLOS HYDE (80) | J.K. DOBBINS (75) | ROD SMITH (67) |
| WR | MICHAEL THOMAS (99) | NOAH BROWN (70) | DEVIN SMITH (70) | |
| WR | TERRY MCLAURIN (82) | PARRIS CAMPBELL (72) | JOHNNIE DIXON (66) | |
| WR | CURTIS SAMUEL (80) | TED GINN JR. (75) | K.J. HILL (64) | |
| TE | JEFF HEUERMAN (70) | NICK VANNETT (68) | ||
| LT | TAYLOR DECKER (74) | JAMARCO JONES (62) | ||
| LG | ANDREW NORWELL (83) | BILLY PRICE (67) | ||
| C | COREY LINSLEY (78) | MICHAEL JORDAN (61) | ||
| RG | PAT ELFLEIN (72) | JONAH JACKSON (63) | ||
| RT | ISAIAH PRINCE (60) | BRANDEN BOWEN (54) | ||
| LE | JOEY BOSA (91) | JOHN SIMON (80) | JALYN HOLMES (65) | |
| RE | NICK BOSA (89) | CHASE YOUNG (80) | SAM HUBBARD (75) | |
| DT | CAMERON HEYWARD (90) | TYQUAN LEWIS (71) | DRE'MONT JONES (69) | |
| DT | JOHNATHAN HANKINS (76) | DAVON HAMILTON (70) | JASHON CORNELL (60) | |
| LB | JEROME BAKER (74) | MALIK HARRISON (69) | ||
| LB | RAEKWON MCMILLAN (76) | |||
| CB | MARSHON LATTIMORE (86) | JEFF OKUDAH (76) | KENDALL SHEFFIELD (73) | |
| CB | DENZEL WARD (86) | GAREON CONLEY (76) | DAMON ARNETTE JR. (70) | |
| CB | BRADLEY ROBY (80) | ELI APPLE (75) | ||
| FS | MALIK HOOKER (82) | JORDAN FULLER (63) | ||
| SS | MALCOLM JENKINS (85) | VONN BELL (79) | NATE EBNER (67) | |
| P/K | CAMERON JOHNSTON (69) | |||
| LS | JAKE MCQUAIDE (35) |
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.
