Madden 17 ratings: 5 Vikings players who won’t be happy
By Dan Zinski
The Madden 17 ratings are out and these five Vikings players have reason to be unhappy.
Every year the initial Madden ratings come out and certain players get very bent out of shape about how they’ve been evaluated. This year, several Vikings were given scores that I think they themselves will not be thrilled about.
Fans may agree that these five Vikings got a little bit hosed by the Madden people.
(Keep in mind that the Madden people don’t know squat).
5. Tom Johnson
Johnson is only a backup player but I think 72 is still too low for him. Last year Johnson proved that he’s a very valuable asset as an interior pass rusher and all-around defensive line rotation guy. Honestly, you could make the case that Johnson is starter-level in terms of ability. Johnson shouldn’t be downgraded just because in Mike Zimmer’s defense he’s a role player. This guy is a heck of a pass rusher and much better than a 72.
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Munnerlyn fancies himself the best nickel corner in the entire NFL, and he actually has a halfway decent case. Don’t tell that to the Madden people who only gave him a 75. Okay, so Munnerlyn commits too many penalties and is not always great in coverage, but he has plenty of skills. Is there a better corner right now at sniffing out screens and blowing them up? Munnerlyn may not be elite, but he is certainly better than a 75 as a cornerback.
Kendricks’ 76 is probably on-the-nose given the way he performed overall last year, but the potential is certainly there for him to move up. So far this camp we’re hearing glowing reviews of Kendricks’ improvement. This guy seems on the verge of a big-time breakout. He will be on the field the majority of the time and the production will follow. And the Madden respect will follow that.
The body-of-work just isn’t there yet for McKinnon, hence his underwhelming rating of 76. Trust me, if McKinnon gets his chances, that rating will rise. McKinnon is a very talented young player who is just itching for a chance to show what he can do. McKinnon will get more touches as the season wears on and the Vikings try to save Adrian Peterson. Plus McKinnon could be a great weapon as a receiver. He should use the 76 as motiviation.
1. Stefon Diggs
After emerging as a legitimate threat in his rookie season, Diggs’ initial Madden score is an illegitimate 79. The score is even more outrageous when you consider some of the people rated above Diggs. Michael Crabtree got an 81? Broken down old Victor Cruz got an 81? Kenny Britt, Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett got 80s? Who thinks Kenny Britt is better than Diggs at this point? Not one single sane person, that’s who.
Clearly this is a case of a young player getting absolutely no respect. Count on Diggs to go out and perform at a big-time level this year and see his Madden score increase greatly as the season plays out.